


A Path I Can't Follow

by ReclessAbandon



Category: Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Dark Side Cal Kestis, Dark Side Sith Inquisitor, F/M, Holocron, Inquisitor Cal Kestis, Jedi, Jedi Temple (Star Wars), Original planet, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Seduction to the Dark Side, Sith Holocron, Temple, The Dark Side of the Force, temple ruins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:55:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23511196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReclessAbandon/pseuds/ReclessAbandon
Summary: It was a matter of life and death—the question is, should it be the life of many or one, the death of many or one? Cal Kestis makes what ought to be the biggest and hardest decision of his life as he is pitted with a question of high stakes and morals. He descends to the Dark Side and becomes an Inquisitor. A choice he openly made for the sake of saving you, even if you didn't know you needed it until it was too late.
Relationships: Cal Kestis/Reader
Comments: 8
Kudos: 53





	1. What Came Before

**Author's Note:**

> Clearly, I have not watched The Clone Wars S7 as I subtly mentioned Ahsoka using her alias in this fic. This is also my first time in making my own star system and planet, as well as the creatures that live there, it's actually quite fun! Hope you guys enjoy the fic!
> 
> Also posted in my Tumblr @veron-argentum.

It felt like time had stopped ticking for that _one_ moment.

Cal’s heart pounded loudly through his chest, despite the flurry of emotions wounding between you and him, it was beating rather in a calm rhythm.

Every plea you uttered, echoed and then drowned by the eruption of geysers.

“Please, Cal,” you stepped closer to him so that you reach to touch his face. “Stop this. Stop this and come home with me.”

“No, no,” he shakes his head. “Don’t you see that this is the better choice? A choice that either you or I should have done a long time ago?”

He continued to justify himself. It was for the best, he says. This could do some much good that you two have been lacking all this time, he presses. A twisted smile curled in his face alarmed you, though you remained stubborn with yourself, you had hoped to convince him back.

Your heart broke and ached so much that you felt your chest suffocating you.

“This isn’t you…” you said shakily, on the verge of tears. “I don’t know the person I’m looking at anymore!”

Cal’s lips parted, his once-soft expression was quick to transform into a face seething with rage and greed.

“I will do…” your voice quivered as you hesitated to reach for the hilt on your belt.

“It doesn’t have to be this way!” Cal roared, fighting to get _you_ to _his_ side—not the other way around.

You didn’t even realize that your hand was moving on its own, your fingers clamped around the elegant cylinder and gave a quick tug.

“I will do what I must.”

One lightsaber being ignited was followed by another.

Your eyes trailed blankly to the red beam of light, a second beam was ignited, appearing out of the other end of his black hilt.

There was no other way to settle this. Both of you positioned yourselves in stances. As quick as the blink of an eye, both of you lunged at one another until your lightsabers collided and sparked with one another.

* * *

**_BEFORE CAL’S DESCENT, CURRENT TIMELINE_ **

The two of you were training as usual in Bogano, the whole planet was your training course and playground. For today, you were training separately—you were meditating in the Fractured Plain, sitting on one of the pale, stone pillars. The minutes felt like hours whenever you fall into a trance. Your eyelids slowly shoot up and blinked when the sunlight caught in your eye.

On your left periphery, you found Cere carefully standing by the edge of the plateau.

“Oh, [y/n]! Sorry, did I disturb your meditation?”

You shake your head with smile, “Not at all. I was just done actually.”

“That’s good. Could you do me a favor?”

“Sure!”

“Find Cal and when you do, both of you come to the Mantis, okay?”

“Alright, I will,” you beamed.

Cere thanked you and left. Shortly after she disappeared, you stood up and proceeded to find Cal. You mutter to yourself a question.

“Now, where could that redhead be?”

You hopped from one stepping stone to another until you reached the plateau of the Boggdo Sinkholes. Suddenly, you were very quick to trust your instincts—which you usually take with a grain of salt—and followed the path to the sinkholes. You were certain that he was there because you can feel him really close, although you just can’t see him.

“Cal?” you called into the horizon, assuming that he was in the surface with you.

There was no response, just the distant caws of the birds and the chittering of the Sploxes and Bog Rats combined. You surveyed the distance, squinting your eyes as you peered in the direction of the Vault—nothing. There was nothing in the western part of the plains.

You look to your feet and decide to try going underground in search of Cal. The den below was the nearest place to start—despite you objecting to it with your intense dislike to the place and the memories it held, although they were quite funny, fond ones.

The puddle water splashed as the soles of your boots fell hard and flat onto the surface. You expected a jumpscare the moment you landed in, but to no avail. The search for Cal continues. The wind howled and whistled against the limestone walls of the damp den.

His name echoed across the hollow cavern. Little did you know that he was waiting for you in the dark tunnel that connected the den to the outside world and vice versa. He’s been in position since he heard you land. He hugged the wall and peered over to see if you were stepping into the tunnel.

“I swear if you jump on me, Cal,” you warned to the empty tunnel.

After two steps, Cal _did_ jump on you, emerging out of the darkness, you let out a cry in reaction. He comes to you laughing and then wrapped his arms around you, lifting you off your feet before your mind could process what just happened seconds ago.

“Gotcha there good, didn’t I?”

“You’re lucky I didn’t have my lightsaber out for a light!”

Cal continued on laughing, you relished the sound of his pure laughter as he teased you in a child-like innocence. He got you pinned against the wall, now his teasing has gotten into a whole, new meaning. That beguiling smile has transformed into a mischievous, somehow wanton one.

“What’s up with that look?” you breathed as the tips of your noses brushing against each other.

“What look?” he smirked, inching closer to you and pressed his lips to yours.

He kissed you long and hard, gently sucking your lower lip and you softly moan in response. You dipped your tongue into his mouth, swirling it inside; he reels you in much closer until his hip brushes against your lower abdomen.

You pulled away playfully giggling, preventing him by putting your finger on his lip.

“What is it?”

“It feels kinda weird kissing…” your eyes circled the cavern. “Here.”

“Then let’s take it someplace else—say, the abode?” he suggestively flicks his eyebrow up, retaining the smirk on his face.

You scoffed a chuckle, “I’d _really_ love nothing more than that but… Cere told me to find you and get our butts to the Mantis,”

He groaned childishly, buried his face on your neck as a tantrum while his arms remained in embrace around your waist.

“Come on, race ya for it?”

“Aww, you’re on!”

The sooner he released you from his grasp, he turned tail and propelled himself into a sprint out of the tunnel.

“Hey, no fair! You got a headstart!”

“Don’t fall behind then!”

The two of you appeared out of the tunnel, you nimbly shimmied on the narrow pipe that served as a bridge, and Cal’s agile feet carried him and let him run the wall while neck-and-neck with you. Leaping across gaps was once a daring feat when you first arrived in Bogano, but now you know the place like the back of your hand and jumping off from one platform to the other was second nature.

BD-1 jumped to the start of the zipline to which Cal clung onto and slid across the gap, meanwhile, you fished out your own zipline handlebar and caught up quickly with Cal. The two of you were practically next to each other when you landed.

Only a few meters remained before you could reach the ship. If there was anything you could pit against Cal, it’s your speed—no matter how large he closes the gaps with his long jumps, he always finds himself directly by your side.

The Boglings chittered and twitched their floppy ears when they heard the sound of footsteps—to them, it sounded like a stampede, enough to quake their underground tunnels and burrows. They quickly popped back into their holes the moment they felt your presence.

“I’m gonna win!” you jeered.

“Oh, we’ll see about that!”

You were ahead by an arm’s length, but Cal snatched you the same way he scooped you up in his arms back in the Bogdo’s cavern. You squealed in laughter as he lifted and spun you off your feet.

“Cal! Put me down! I was so close!”

“Closer to me is much better!” he chirped.

Cal put you back on the ground, riddled your cheeks and forehead with kisses before the two of you step into the Mantis. Cere appeared at the entry ramp, she heard your frolicking noises when the pair of you were three feet away outside.

“Oh good, you two came here just in time,” she motioned her head to the inside of the ship. She didn’t wait for a response, she expected you to follow.

You gathered in the lounge sofa, a hologram puck was noticeably sitting in the center of the table. Cere switched it on and out comes the bust image of a female Togruta—a feeling of familiarity washes over when you laid eyes on the person’s picture.

“Who is this?” Cal asked, leaning closer to the glitching hologram.

“This, Cal, is Fulcrum. Of course, that’s not her real name, but I know we can trust her,”

“How so? What does she have to do with us?” your questioning tone was a complete contrast to Cere’s rather optimistic, certain voice.

Your skepticism didn’t waver Cere’s confidence. She continued explaining your business with the Togruta.

“She’s a spy, she told me about the location of another Jedi holocron,”

“Another holocron?”

“You seem surprised—most Jedi have left and kept holocrons way before the Purge. In Fulcrum’s case, she can only provide the location,” Cere stood up from her seat and strode towards the holotable, her fingers dexterously flicked from one button to the next, typing the coordinates on the keypad until a hologram projection of a planet fizzles into existence.

The two of you approached the holotable, the land masses were colored in dark grey and red, suggesting a volcanic environment. Your eyebrows furrow, this planet was new to you.

“Mustafar?” you guessed.

“No. Located in the Pagaron System, in the Outer Rim, this is the planet Magyon—its environment is similar to Sullust, it’s a wasteland riddled with hot-gas geysers. It has an inactive volcano, I doubt we’ll get any closer to that. There is an old Jedi temple in the east, hopefully there will be a settlement where we can safely land in while we search for the holocron.”

“Did Fulcrum say the holocron will be in that temple ruins?”

“I’d like to think so. What matters is that we need to get to it first before the Inquisitors could beat us to it,”

From Cere’s body language, she is itching to leave Bogano in the next second, she just happened to be polite enough to anticipate some questions—and she was right about that.

“I got one question. Who is the Jedi who hid the holocron there?”

Your outspoken manner and insightfulness always intrigued Cere, regardless of how you delivered it. As a matter of fact, Cere was beginning to think you take after Cal.

“Master Plo Koon. Do you know him?” she directed the question to both of you.

“Not personally. Though, I met him one time during a conference with the Council,” Cal answered.

“I met him through a hologram, might have bumped into him once or twice in the halls,”

“I see. Well, I suppose I should let you two pack up and prepare before we take off.”

“Sure,”

Cere dismissed herself from you presence and retreated to her seat in the cockpit, always tinkering with the communications and whatever other technicalities that go with it.


	2. Arrival In Magyon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Varan is something I came up with. Think of it as a giant Komodo Dragon that you can ride, or that one iguana-looking creature that Obi-Wan rode in Episode III.

Based on the holotable, Magyon is 56 parsecs away from Bogano. The Mantis has enough fuel to cover a huge fraction of the distance via jump to lightspeed. After Greez had calculated and prepped the ship for the jump, he cranked the lever and then the ship zoomed through a tunnel of blue light.

“Sit back and relax, it’s gonna take a while,” Greez tells the both of you, waving his two right arms in a shooing motion.

You stood up promptly after Greez said that and retired to the lounge. Greez might have sensed that, as well as Cere, but they brushed it off as something minor—although it worried Cere more because she sensed the bad feeling. The captain may not be a Force-sensitive, but he knows when something’s up; he attempted to segued into small talk, even if it’s just him, Merrin, and Cere.

But most especially, it alarmed Cal, he sensed your restlessness way ahead of Cere—he felt it before Cere entered the coordinates for take-off; for the rest of the hyperspace jump, you sat slumping in the sofa, blankly staring at the table.

Cal had followed to you to the lounge. He sat next to you, laps pressing against one another. He brought the datapad with him, hoping he can pull you away from zoning out.

“Hey, don’t worry, you’re not the only one anxious about this,” he uttered in your earshot.

You softly grunted, unable to find a better response that.

“What are you worried about?”

“Frankly, I can’t pinpoint it. I’m trying not to let it get to me,”

He gingerly wrapped his arm around you, gently stroking your hair once you’ve rested your head on his shoulder. Whenever you’re in his arms, there is always a calm that immediately washes over you, flattening the curve of your anxiety.

So many thoughts ran in your head endlessly, it made the trip feel much longer, you couldn’t wait for the ship to finally land. You weren’t certain if your uneasiness revolved around the fact that what you’re after is another holocron—something that the Inquisitors have also set their sights to, aside from hunting down Jedi.

A conversation between you, Cal, and Merrin temporarily distracted you from your worry.

“We’re approaching the Pagaron System,” a muffled rendition of Greez’s voice crackled through the speakers.

You, Cal, and Merrin promptly headed to the cockpit, settled into your seats, and assisted Greez and Cere with the landing cycle. Merrin held tight onto the open doorway frame as the gargantuan black and red sphere grew in size in the Mantis’s view.

“I’m picking up a signal…” keeping your eyes on the screen, your hands appeared to be moving by themselves as your fingers searched, patted, and pressed buttons in your station. “It’s a settlement!”

“The lightning storm is interfering with the clarity though!” Cere exclaimed, straining her ear to listen for a response from the planet surface.

“Do you think you can land someplace near the settlement, Greez?”

“Copy that, Cal ol’ kiddo!”

It was a team effort for everyone in the cockpit. As the Mantis approached the atmosphere of the planet, the turbulence gradually becomes extreme by the second.

Everyone sank into their seats, bracing themselves as the whole ship violently shook while it pierced through the thin sheet of the planet’s atmosphere. Greez struggled with the steering wheel, it got more difficult to turn as he tried to slow down the ship.

When the surface was in sight, the steering wheel became more manageable and so the captain steered the ship to a more secure location—someplace that doesn’t have thunderclouds and lightning wildly flashing every three seconds above the ground. Greez was rather impressed and amazed with himself as he managed to land the Mantis despite coming from a sharp turn as he dodged the winds of the storm.

“Another happy landing!” He laughed proudly.

All of you can breathe easy now. You’ve clutched onto your seat’s armrests so hard that nail scratches were marked onto the leather upholstery. Cal could have sworn he felt his stomach sink to his feet and then fling itself back up to its rightful place when the ship touched the soil.

Cere, albeit fazed by the landing, continued cracking and working her way through the communications again. She was hopeful that someone would pick up her transmission and respond. From the windshield, the three of you youngsters looked closely, finding a small village in the distance.

“Looks far from where we are,” Merrin commented.

“Nothing a little hike can’t do,” Cal blurted.

“Uh-huh…” you absentmindedly mumbled back.

The village doesn’t seem to be as advanced as you expected it to be. Transmission towers and signal posts could be seen, but only two or three.

“Even if we’re technically this close, the signal coming from that village still comes out weak. It’s definitely because of the lightning storm we saw while still in orbit,” Cere cuts in, obviously indulged with her tinkering and splicing.

“[y/n] and I are gonna take a look into that village, see if we can gather any information about the temple. The locals there are bound to know something,”

Almost immediately, Cere stood up from her seat, stopping the two of you place.

“Cal, [y/n]… I know this going to make come off as strict but please, be careful. None of us know anything about this world, we only know about it from the words of an informant, so I ask the two of you to look out for each other while you’re out there. I want the two of you coming home _together_. Understand?”

“Don’t worry, Cere, I’ll keep him out of trouble as much as I can,” you half-joke, keeping her words in mind.

Cal mockingly looks at you in disbelief and then cuts in, “I thought I was the one keeping _you_ in trouble!”

With that, you and Cal head to the quarter to prepare for your venture to the village. Cere watched the two of you walk together to your room, her smile gradually melted into a worried frown—the unexplainable feeling has gotten stronger in her too. She brushed it off and sighed, returning to her station in the cockpit and continued working on the transmissions.

Cal helped you in wearing your poncho—which is technically his, but he has made it a point that they’re also yours—he aligned the collar around your neck, fixed the folds of the hood behind your shoulders, and gave little tugs to straighten out the length.

“Okay, there we go,” he chirped and stole a quick peck on your lips. “You ready?”

You giggled at how endearing he has been, “Yes, ready.”

The entry ramp hissed as it lowered down.

You stepped out of the Mantis and began your hike towards the small village.

The sky was light yet gray as the last of the thunderclouds loomed, it seems the lightning storm has begun to subside. The horizon was a dark gray and black in color, it stretched as far as the eye can see, and the skyline of the settlement—with its few transmissions towers—enough a beacon to lead you in its way. Thunderclaps rumbled every once in a while in the middle of your trek, turning your attention to the direction where the storm was beginning to die down—indigo lightning cracks the sky, and then fade as quick as a blink.

Farther out in the distance is the silhouette of a mountain—nothing but the shadow of a small triangle sticking out of the ridge’s outline—you guessed it was just a lone mountain while Cal wagered it to be an inactive volcano.

“I wonder how high it is when you’re close enough,” you thought out loud.

“Could be a thousand feet high,”

“There’s clouds—or smoke—hanging by it. If it _was_ a volcano, do you think it’s inactive?”

“I suppose so. I doubt it’ll erupt while we’re here anyway. We won’t stay for long here, darling.”

“Okay,”

That ended you conversation about the mountain, however, due to your curiosity about it, you have covered a significant distance from the ship to the settlement. The buildings have become more visible and the voices of its inhabitants became louder—albeit incoherent.

You passed through the town arch. The town was indeed small—its streets are cramped, the hollers are more indistinct, one could count the buildings within their two hands, their houses were low with only a second floor being the highest story. Some of the people—whether resident or vendor—shot glances at the new faces that stepped into their town. Their piercing stares weren’t hostile, rather they’re curious.

“It seems there are no signs of the Empire touching this territory,” Cal pointed out.

“Yeah, everything just feels… normal,”

In the middle of the road, you are met with a tall, burly man—his appearance was just as imposing: dark hair and beard, clad in a long cape that barely swept the floor, and a constant, stern look in his eyes.

Behind him were more men, as able-bodied as the leader, they were armed—rifles or bowcasters strewn across their backs with the straps riddled with ammunition, in their hands were makeshift electrostaffs.

Their collective appearance was intimidating enough, their entrance was a warning for you and Cal to halt where you stand.

“Who are you?” the leader bellowed.

“My name is [y/n] and this is Cal Kestis. You’ve no need to be afraid of us, we’re just travelers—”

While you spoke, the leader noticed the shine of your lightsaber hanging on your belt. He seemed quite familiar with your weapon and cut you in the middle of your introduction.

“That weapon,” he nodded his head at your saber. “Where did you get that?”

Caught off guard, you stopped speaking and looked to your saber—suddenly, you’re wary, you tried to conceal it with your hand.

“It’s mine. I’ve always had it with me,” you assumed he knows of the Jedi Purge and whatever bad stories they might know about the Jedi. “We’re not here to cause trouble.”

“You’re a Jedi…” he said in an epiphany. “I thought the Empire had you wiped out!”

“Well, not all,” Cal replied almost in a snark.

“Why have you come here then?” one of the men in his entourage spoke.

The leader glanced over his shoulder—shushing the man with his eyes—then turned to the both of you and expected an answer. You weren’t sure if this was the best place to answer that question. The leader saw that you two were exhausted and nervous just now.

There was a resigned look on the man’s face as he sighed.

“Come and follow me,” he beckoned. When he turned around and immediately his men gave way for him and for you, they sensed off the vibe that he will take matters into his own hands—which he definitely will.

The two of you followed him, but some of the stares remained as you walked with him.

“Don’t worry about them. We don’t often get visitors,”

“We can see that,” you clapped back, trying not to sound so sarcastic with your reply. You got a chuckle out of him though. “We didn’t even know your name.”

“My name is Razh Efram,”

Razh led you to his small, humble abode. He was greeted by his wife, cradling a toddler, he introduced the two of you to her—in turn, she introduced their two-year-old son, the baby cooed and made a crooked wave.

“Let me prepare something for you,” the wife said, her voice was melodic and sweet. The sound of her words was warm and indeed motherly.

“Oh, no need, please. We don’t want to bother you,” you shyly refused.

“Tsk, I insist! I was in the middle of making supper anyway,”

“When Miera insists, that’s when you lose the argument,” Razh joked, then he and his wife exchanged giggles before she went back to the kitchen.

The three of you conferred while Miera served you a cup of tea. Razh repeated the questions that were asked from earlier.

“We came here because one of our own hid something valuable here,”

“In _this_ village?”

“No, this planet has an ancient temple—a Jedi temple—but I wager that it’s already in ruins,”

“I think I happened to have seen that temple once or twice now,”

Your eyes—both yours and Cal’s—widened and lit up. The hope that Razh might direct you to it burned wildly in your minds.

“You have? Could you take us there?” an eager Cal bombarded the poor man with his questions.

“By foot, no, I cannot. You will need a mount to get there.”

“And… you can provide us some?”

“I believe so.”

Without a word, Razh stands up and beckons you again to follow him. He leads you out of the house and to an animal pen.

Inside that enclosure were large, reptilian creatures. Their hides were as black as obsidian, spike-like appendages stuck out of their cheeks, a bright red stripe ran along their spines, a blue forked tongue flicked out of their mouths, and their eyes were like shimmering emeralds with black slits for pupils.

Razh was clearly not fazed by the sight of these animals, but you and Cal are. The two of you leaned against the railing of the enclosure.

“What… are they?” you said, the sight of these creatures were breathtaking.

“These, [y/n], are Varans. We use them as mounts and carriage-pullers whenever we go to the mines. They can bring you to your temple faster than foot. They have quite a firm grip on rocks, so I don’t think you’ll have trouble climbing some of the ridges to get there.”

Razh notices that neither of you are just standing by the corral. He motioned his hand in an inviting wave to the both of you. Excitement and hesitation battled within you and Cal, nonetheless, you were mesmerized with the beasts. You approached Razh as he called you in a second time, he had the reins of the one Varan he first approached when he entered the corral.

The creature was taller than you expected as the two of you got closer.

“Now, you don’t have to worry about them biting you—all of them are domesticated.”

“Where’s its teeth?” you asked.

“Varans have retractable teeth. They only bare it when they’re agitated. Go on, give her a little pat,” Razh encouraged.

You slowly raised your hand to the Varan’s muzzle, you jerk it back whenever it suddenly snorts or croaks; the creature watched your hand approach its face, patient yet cautious, until finally the skin of your hand met its scaly, cold hide. You dared run your thumb across the center of its muzzle, it closed its eyes and purred. Its warm breath blew out of its nostrils, blowing away the loose wisps of your hair as well as the collar of your poncho—it’s as if it was finally saying “Hello.”

You gasped what ought to be a triumphant chuckle. When the Varan has warmed up to you, it allowed you to pet it more—both of your hands held and patted its muzzle, you even felt for its cheek spikes. It even nudged its head to you, apparently demanding more pats.

“I think she likes you,” Cal commented, patting the Varan by the head.


	3. If Stone Could Speak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized it would be an awesome feature if Cal could ride a creature like this to further explore the planets. I hope they add that in the sequel! Plus more planets, and the option to keep the Inquisitor outfit or at least a Clone Wars Jedi Armor for Cal.

You and Cal were warming up to the Varan the same way the creature is doing to you. Ever the curious one, BD-1 lit up its scanners and skimmed the whole creature’s body. It flicked its tongue in reaction when it saw blue light shining in its eye.

BD-1 trilled excitedly as soon as he finished the scan, as if insisting Cal to read the data entry right away.

“Alright, buddy, I’ll check it out later!”

“Alright, Cal, see if you can tame this beast,”

Razh called on another Varan, its color was slightly lighter than yours—almost a rather dark gray like stone than obsidian black. This one, however, was less docile than the one you got to befriend. It was wary, cautious, and evidently anxious in the presence of a stranger. It was trying to shoo Cal away from itself, when it saw that Cal was persistent in approaching it—albeit slowly and steadily—it began to back away, tugging at the reins in Razh’s hand but Razh gently went against it, calming it down and reeling it in closer to Cal.

“She’s rather the shy one!” Razh chuckled, unfazed by the wild bucking of the animal.

BD-1 trilled a panicking tone.

“Yeah, I don’t call that shy, too!” Cal concurred.

It took Razh a few good tugs of the reins before the Varan stopped its bucking, though it hasn’t fully calmed down yet, still cautious of Cal’s presence and scent.

“It’s okay…” Cal cooed, repeated it a number of times until the giant reptile was acquainted with his voice.

He approaches the animal slowly, lifting one foot in front of the other as steadily as he can; he times the moments where he can extend his hand—to close the distance between the Varan’s muzzle and him—and the Varan decided to calm down and see how this goes, croaking and bleating in reaction to Cal.

“There, there,” he said in a calming, hushed tone—he’s already at a finger’s length from the animal.

Finally, his hand plants onto the Varan’s muzzle. The reptilian purred so loudly that the flap under its jaw vibrated, in a certain point of view, it would sound like this Varan was saying “Hello” to Cal—there was a sage-like feeling to its sound. Suddenly, its wariness melted away. It voluntarily stepped forward to Cal, asking for more pats and he was very happy to oblige. The great lizard bowed its head lower, showing its forehead, as if telling Cal to pat it there.

“Nice to meet you too!” Cal chuckled as he cradled its tapering, pointed muzzle in his hands.

Razh decided to teach you and Cal how to mount and ride a Varan. With the first lesson done—which is getting acquainted with the animal—the next one was mounting it. Both Varans were already outfitted with complete riding equipment: saddle, bridle, and reins. You followed Razh’s instructions exactly the way he tells you: hook one foot into the stirrup while clinging onto the knob at the end of the saddle, then finally propelled yourself up until you’re fully mounted.

The Varans were startled when you and Cal mounted them, but you quickly calmed them down with pats on their broad necks.

“I think you won’t have any trouble in steering them,” Razh said assuredly. He mounted his own Varan and led you out of the enclosure.

Like a child, your heart skipped a beat as the Varan started to gait. The three of you rode out of the town’s walls.

“Rule of thumb: never hold onto the reins when mounting, they’ll bolt away the moment you do—and one can never catch up to a Varan.” Razh guided.

“We’ll remember that. Thanks.” Said Cal.

“Alright then, give a little kick on the side of its belly and we should be on our way. Hyah!”

Razh’s Varan reared as it croaked and then sprinted away, the two of you followed suit and felt the first-time thrill of riding such a creature. The reptilian steeds galloped so fast that the warm, humid wind blew right through your hair. You kept your grip tight on the reins as it ran, following Razh’s lead.

As always, you and Cal were neck-and-neck with another. Though it wasn’t a race to begin with, the two of you exchanged childish grins—calling for a little game, but neither of you initiated it. Cal saw you burst in cheer, your laughter as fleeting as the wind, an excitement that is innocent and pure, he smiled to himself.

 _What I would give just to always see that smile._ He thought to himself.

The Varans easily traversed the harsh terrain of volcanic rock, they expertly dodged the geysers that spewed out scalding vapor. Climbing uphill levels was a breeze for these creatures—more so while having riders.

Razh stopped at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a mountain range. You and Cal reined in your mounts as you looked to the same direction.

“This is as far as I can go. Can you take it from here?”

“You’re not coming with us?” Cal said, quite startled.

“I can only lead you to where you need to be. This is _your_ mission, not mine. Your temple should be within that mountain range, take the Varans along the path there.” Razh points to the corner right where a path can be seen by the ridge.

“Thank you. For everything.” You and Cal remarked gratuitously.

He turns his mount around, before leaving, he bides, “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Razh left the scene, his Varan kicked the dust as it walked large strides until it gained momentum for a gallop. You turn your face from your gracious host disappearing in the horizon to the jagged row of rocks that is the mountain range. Cal’s Varan trotted close to you.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. Just a spooky sight is all,” you brushed off.

“Come on, I’ll ride close to you,”

The two of you propped the Varans forward, steering them to the path downhill that trails along the ridge of the cliff. The great lizards were indeed agile runners, they can tread even on the narrowest of roads. When you took a turn down the path, the entrance of the temple was already in sight, although there was still some distance to be covered; and yet, that same feeling you had upon arriving to Magyon came back to you—this time, it returned to you violently like a tidal wave.

The Varans reduced their pace to a relaxed trot, your heads stuck to the view of the temple as you walked along the road.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” you muttered.

“Yeah, me too,” Cal added. “This is _definitely_ it.”

“There’s something else,”

“What is?”

“I feel like we’re being watched,”

“Nonsense. It’s probably just the other critters,”

“Possibly,” you said, still uncertain and unassured by Cal’s remarked.

Meanwhile, peering through binoculars, a Purge Trooper stationed in a vantage point on the clifftop has noticed you. He pressed a button on his gauntlet.

“They’re close,” the Purge Trooper uttered in a husked voice due to their helmet.

“Good, we’ll be expecting them,” a male faceless voice, sinister and stern, answered through the Purge Trooper’s commlink gauntlet.

The closer you got to the temple, the more noticeably uneasy the Varans were—for the rest of the ride, this was the only instance they became noisier, constantly snorting and bleating in every step.

“Even they can sense it,” you point out.

“I don’t understand. It’s a Jedi Temple but… there’s a faint trace of the Dark Side,”

“You don’t think…?”

“No,” Cal refused to even think that Empire has reached this point in the planet. “If they did, then Razh and the villagers should’ve told us right away, the moment we came into their town.”

The 10-foot creatures skidded their claws against the soil, reared and stood on their hind legs as they made their distinctive chitter. You were already a few feet away from the main entrance of the temple. You tried to direct them forward but they fight it.

“They’re anxious, plus they’re too big to squeeze in,” said Cal, petting his Varan’s head, the animal looked left and right—as if it cautiously searching if there was a predator.

The two of you dismounted the Varans, tethered them to a stout but dead branch sticking out of the cracks in the rockface.

The path to the entrance was a broken one, too; having the need to jump across gaps of stairs that have been broken off and eroded—it’s basically like your training session back in Bogano earlier—and climb moderately high heights. Now that you and Cal were ever closer to the temple, a burdening weight rode on your shoulders, a feeling that neither of you can’t shake but only accept as its presence dominated.

“Okay, I _really_ have a bad feeling about this. I can… I can sense it,” you shuddered.

Cal clutched your hand, gave a quick and tight squeeze.

“Hey, we’ll go through this together, okay?”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

The great doors of the entrance remained ajar, though the space was enough for the two of you to shimmy through. As you emerged from the crack, you disturbed the dust that was resting on the limestone walls and floor, the musty aroma of the temple wafted in the air, it made you sneeze.

“Bless you, sweetie,” Cal chuckled, beguiled by your adorable sneeze.

“Thanks,”

With the temple in full view, it was just as vast as the Zeffo tombs you’ve visited. In fact, this temple alone is the size of two tombs put together! There was an eerie splendor in it, the extravagance was breathtaking, a mysterious beauty shrouded in ruins. It was astonishing, but also frightening.

You couldn’t keep your head down as you surveyed the high ceilings and walls of the temple. The once intricate carvings and frescoes on the walls have lost their luster, even the ceilings had been decorated with paintings and writings, though their clarity has been dulled by the erosion of time; to the untrained eye, they are nothing but ancient writing, as dead as the structure itself—but you could recognize some old Jedi runes carved into the rock.

Treading carefully and cautiously, you finally bow your head down and kept your eyes off the images on the walls. You went forward, realizing that you’re standing on what ought to be the second level of the temple, given that you had to take the stairs—or lack thereof—at the entrance. The center of the temple was a circle, four directions branched out of it—west, east, north, and south where you came from.

Stepping closer to the banister, you examined the proximity of the second floor, a broken-off portion of the railing led to what seems to be a stepping-stone bridge made out of the fallen pillars of the temple; both the eastern and western paths have crumbled as well, one misstep and it would cost you a cracked skull if you landed on the floor, you’d have to be lucky to have landed in the water—though you’re not sure how deep it could be.

“It’s just like Bogano,” you remarked.

“Except it’s spookier,” Cal added.

“Yep, sure is,”

“Okay, you go first. I’ll be right behind you,”

The bridge up ahead seemed to be intact—at least, most of it. The path was basically a set of stepping stones, from the looks of it—they appear brittle and would crumble at the slightest step. You nimbly hopped and skipped through, and then prepared yourself to cross the next one. Cal followed right behind you, gaining enough momentum for him to speed through, but at the second step, the rock under his feet started to crumble and swerve, causing him to lose his balance.

The second step eventually crumbled upon Cal’s weight and he went down with it as it collapses to the first floor. The impact disturbed and splashed the algae-ridden water that pooled the first level.

“CAL!!!” Your call echoed across the temple.

The water was murky but you were able to spot something red. Cal resurfaced and gasped for air as he splashed about the water. From your perch, you sigh in relief.

“Cal, are you okay?!”

“Yeah, I’m fine! I’ll have to circle back. Go on ahead and I’ll meet you there,”

Cal got himself back up his feet and waded through the knee-deep water until he got to dry land.

“You okay, BD?”

The little droid chirped in response.

“Okay, that’s good…”

Cal surveyed the area. He has landed into the foyer. The base of what ought to be a statue has been reduced to a stone’s throw. There were two doorways on either side of the stage-like spot in the front, and there were passages that led to who-knows-what-and-where. BD-1 hopped off Cal’s back and skittered across the room, scanning everything he can find of value in terms of data—more stone carvings depicting events, deteriorating tapestries whose colors have faded into the water, and the little critters that have made this place their home.

“Come on, BD, we gotta back to [y/n],”

BD chirps happily, strongly agreeing with Cal.

“Now, all we need is to know which leads where,”

The droid trilled in a low, long chirp as if conveying uneasiness while in agreement with Cal.


	4. New Adversaries

As Cal stalked the hallway, trying to find his way back so he can rejoin you, he comes across another empty foyer—but in that foyer, a bushel of vines blanketed the wall.

“Vines,” Cal muttered under his breath. “I hope they don’t break off.”

BD-1 trilled in Cal’s ear, almost like a whisper.

“Yeah, there’s this feeling that’s been bugging me. It’s been bugging [y/n] as well. Don’t worry, we don’t need to be scared,” the boy assured his lovable droid.

However, he goes against his own words as he sensed the presence of another. The optimistic mood instantaneously melted away as soon as Cal started to discreetly unclip his lightsaber. He turned around and out of the shadows come appears a new Inquisitor.

The deep blue skin and red scleras with the absence of a pupil were dead giveaways—this new Inquisitor is a Chiss. A straight line of healed flesh passes through his left brow and eye, and his hair was black as his coat whose hem billows at the musty, humid air.

There was a sophisticated grace in him as he strode, intimidating and authoritative would be the best-suited words to describe him. Despite the sunken cheeks and prominent cheekbones—a sign of aging, battles and experience etched on his face—there was a mature, threatening air about him as he approached.

He stepped into the light of the foyer, revealing himself more. Donning black robes with red accents, a black cowl whose excess length hung around his shoulders like a cape, he’s dressed like an aristocrat. He greets Cal with a malicious grin, baring pearly-white teeth.

“Hello, Jedi,”

The Inquisitor’s baritone voice was husky yet smooth, calm like him, and yet there was a tinge of mischievousness in his words. Cal’s thumb secretly goes for the switch of his saber.

“You seem new,” Cal’s sarcasm took the lead of their exchange.

“I have a name. Though, they prefer to call me the Fourth Brother—and I prefer the same myself.” He introduced himself indifferently.

The Fourth Brother angled his head ever so slightly, his eyes shifted and watched the redheaded Jedi’s thumb crawl towards the switch. He condescendingly chuckled.

“Do you _really_ want to do this right now?”

Cal did not respond, taken aback by the new Inquisitor’s question.

“Very well then,”

The Inquisitor stretched out his right hand, summoned his lightsaber and ignited it in a split second. His hilt is identical with the Second and Ninth Sisters’ where a ring encircled the pommel. The weapon hummed as a beam of crimson-red plasma. Cal’s lightsaber ignited in unison with his.

“Let’s dance, Jedi!” he spoke in a hiss, the smile grew to a sinister, ear-to-ear grin.

He lunges at the Cal, the distance between them was wide, and he dashed through the air like it was nothing. Cal quickly deflected his first strike. They exchanged strikes, a graceful yet deadly dance. The Fourth Brother was lithe, the way he moved made him look like he’s light as a feather, but his strength and the intensity of his attacks were staggering.

The Fourth Brother’s fighting pattern was almost like a dance more than a series of fighting stances. His motion was fluid, and yet his strikes were astonishingly strong, abrupt, and firm. Cal comes close to fumbling whenever he finds himself in the receiving end of the Fourth Brother’s finishers.

Cal finds himself evading more than attacking, due to the Fourth Brother’s speed and agility. Dodging away just to heal was starting to feel impossible to do, the enemy could always catch up and close the distance between them. When he found the chance, the Inquisitor sprang from the ground and went for an overhead attack—another finisher. Fortunately, Cal was quick enough to finish hitting himself with a stim and then parried it at the right time—at the last second—and the Fourth Brother was rather impressed.

“Oh, you’re stronger than I expected,”

“Enough to take you down!” Cal spat back with his unwavering snark and renewed energy thanks to the stim earlier.

“Can you take me down before we could get to the holocron first… _and_ the village?”

The Fourth Brother’s words shocked Cal, a sudden chill coursed down his spine, his lips trembled as his green eyes flitted in confusion. The Inquisitor sensed it—the instantaneous faltering of the mind, his perfect opportunity. He smirked in celebration. Cal feigned, made a precision evade to the side and kicked away the opponent, this is the first time of the entire duel where the Fourth Brother truly staggered—it did hurt his rib, but not his pride, at least not yet.

“Wait… _we_?! How did you know about the village?!”

The Fourth Brother’s malicious grin returned to his face as he straightened his posture. He was satisfied with what he’s witnessing right now—relishing Cal’s paranoia in the form of bombarding questions.

“I have eyes and ears everywhere, boy. I’m not that feeble… like you.”

The duel continued. The long-lived silence of the temple ruins finally broken by the humming and crackling of lightsabers colliding with one another. The Fourth Brother was flashy—but he does so efficiently—with the objective of fazing the opponent, luring and baiting them until he’s finally found a suitable spot to deliver the killing blow.

However, Cal persisted… and survived. Fighting on, analyzing the Fourth Brother’s movements in real-time as they dueled. His movements’ speed have picked up and caught on with the opponent’s. Their footwork was so rapid they could practically tangle one another with just their legs.

Cal made use of his other abilities, making a medley of lightsaber attacks and Force abilities within the small window of time that the Fourth Brother had granted him. Admittedly, the Inquisitor was surprised when he was inflicted with the Force Slow—he felt sluggish as he is in reality, simply raising his arm felt like hauling a fully-occupied transport ship with just a tow cable, for a few seconds he is devoid of his beloved gift of nimbleness. He _ultimately_ hated the sensation. Cal finally grabs his chance of retaliation. Separating the conjoined hilts, he strikes the Fourth Brother on the top and the bottom in opposite yet parallel strokes. The Inquisitor groaned in pain as he finally broke free from the Force Slow and his body fell limp on the floor.

 _Have I underestimated this boy?_ The Inquisitor thinks to himself as he watches Cal come at him.

He denied Cal the prize of a finishing blow. The Fourth Brother lunged away, evading the lightsaber blade coming down at him—ready to strike him at the head—and reveled the fleeting seconds of recovering from the damage he’s taken. He brought himself to his feet, Cal afforded him the dignity of regaining himself just so he can go back to being the worthy foe he ought himself to be; slowly standing up crouching, he winced whenever he tried to straighten his back—Cal has probably cut him deep.

“Well now,” he gasped, taking a deep breath, repressing an incoming wince. “You’re surely exceeding my expectations quite well.”

“You’ll find I’m full of surprises,” Cal scoffed back.

“Hmph,” he draws his lightsaber. He purred, “Though I wonder… how is _she_ faring?”

 _She?_ _Does he mean… [y/n]?_ Cal shuddered at the thought. More questions birthed out of the first one, the image of you suddenly flashed before his eyes.

_Has he seen her? How? He can’t mean her!_

The pace of Cal’s heartbeat increased tenfold. It’s impossible for the Fourth Brother to know about you when he has only encountered Cal.

“Well, I believe, we have enough of a breather now,”

It didn’t take long for the Fourth Brother to get his momentum back.

Meanwhile, you continue on the rest of the way, heading straight to where you’re supposed to be. You come across what ought to be another indoor garden and plaza. A ray of sunshine shone through an orifice in the ceiling, pooling in the deteriorated statue. The fountain’s basin had become a seedbed so the plants have occupied the space, their vines crawling and spilling out of the fountain.

For some reason, you found more comfort in the shadows than in the light. Though the sight of the ruined fountain had its certain charm, even in this state, you smiled at the comforting fact that sunlight still found its way through this derelict place.

You cautiously approached the center, with your main purpose being to reach the other side of the room on the way to the holocron’s hiding place. Each step you took, something didn’t feel right—and it became more and more obvious by the minute.

Out of the blue, a disembodied scream rings around the foyer. Thanks to your senses—whose keenness have heightened through the roof ever since you got separated from Cal—you snatched your lightsaber and ignited it, deflecting another lightsaber beam.

“You know, a sneak attack is useless if you’re just gonna scream!” you spat.

Your attacker is a female Mirialian. You’ve just met the Eighth Sister.

She made quite the entrance just to introduce herself to you: she had leapt from her perch—a stone parapet just inches below the ceiling, with enough darkness to hide in until she could buy the opportunity to strike you down, she had only miscalculated how responsive your reflexes were. She surely wasn’t expecting that, albeit she knew you were Jedi.

You elbowed her hard on the chest, followed by a kick to the shin. She fumbled as she stepped back away from you.

“Ooooh, I hope you didn’t break a collarbone in me because that was HARD!” she said cheerily, snickering as she stretched her good leg.

She was dressed very differently compared to Trilla or the Ninth Sister. Aside from their standard black garments, hers is unconventional and less conservative: a black cropped top with a hood, two red bands secured her black wrist gauntlets and wore another two pairs of the armbands around her skinny biceps, her pauldrons bore the insignia of the Empire painted in white, and a maroon scarf that she has tied around her waist tucked underneath her actual belt.

Her helmet didn’t cover her face, only her head—it’s merely a conical headdress with two appendages on both sides—exposing her three tattoos: a vertical stripe along the center of her forehead and a horizontal pair on her cheeks. Upon closer look, her blue, winged eyes glimmered with a juvenile frenzy, complemented with a grin playing in size from a narrow slit to a wide, toothy one.

She behaved like a teenager, even though she appeared to be the same age as you.

“That was a good hit though, gotta give it to ya!”

“You’re an Inquisitor,” you uttered in discovery.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, “What else?”

“Ho-How… did you?”

“How’d we get here?” she continued for you. Casually waving her lightsaber around, tilting her head as if in a pensive expression. “Well, it’s simple. We got troopers stationed around the place.”

She turned to you, her childish façade melted, and a malicious grin plastered on her face.

“Enough talk. Let’s dance. I’d like to see you move with that light stick.”

You prepped yourself into an attack stance, “I hope you don’t carry that just for show!”

The Eighth Sister surely proved you that she doesn’t carry her lightsaber just for show..

Your dexterity was at par with one another, but only one can dominate this battlefield. It appears that she was her own brand of flashy—compared to the Fourth Brother—she was acrobatic and lithe. The speed in the delivery of her combos compensated for her lack of power and strength, her attacks against you had very little windows for you to cut in, though usually at the final part of it you can deflect them so you could have a turn in attacking.

You studied her every move, made yourself scarce from her strikes, saving up energy at the same time. Your attacks were precious and carefully-timed—striking her when you could truly afford it.

“Come on! You’re totally killing the fun!” she coaxed, the playful tone never left her voice.

You lunged and came at her, dominating her as you stepped forward with every blow. You brutally overwhelmed the fight with enough strength to stagger her. There was the moment where her footwork was noticeably failing, but kept her lightsaber arm raised, flimsily deflecting your attacks. She bared her teeth at you as she exerted in her blocking—you couldn’t tell whether it was a grin or a soundless hiss.

It frustrated her enough that you were winning in this bit. She was propped on her elbow on the ground, the split second’s worth of window was enough for her to roll away and avoid your overhead strike. Your lightsaber seared the stone ground, your enemy had recovered her bearings. Her grin had vanished, her cyan eyes emitted a cold stare as she pointed her lightsaber at you in a stance.

You grinned and shrugged at her, taunting her, at the same time you were _begging_ her to come at you.

And she did.

A cluster of red sparks flew in the flurry of her lightsaber. You sensed that her attacks have become heavier—that was both a good thing and a bad. For one, it means she had tired herself out with her acrobatics; for another, her strikes had gained some brute force to it. Despite all that, you never faltered. You kept your cool while gradually exploiting your enemy’s skills.

Finally, your evading has paid off. She is wide open whenever she does the finishing strike of her combo: an overhead jump strike after two attacking twirls. If you could evade her landing at just the right time—you thought to yourself—you could either hit her back with a kick or your saber. Her lunging attack was the easiest to exploit, you can either parry her or Force-pull her out of balance to interrupt the move.

In every passing minute, the Eighth Sister was sluggish, stealing moments of rest in a great distance from you as she takes a breather for herself.

“Ugh, you’re too good for my taste, girl!” she hissed, greatly vexed.

“I’ll take that as a compliment then!”

She flexed and cracked her neck.

“I hope this treasure hunt was worth the wait!”

Your eyebrows furrowed at the discovery. So, they have gotten here ahead of you as well! Your instincts were right, you wished that you believed in it sooner. But now, you have the most concrete of evidence, your fear and anxiety have taken physical form: it’s the Eighth Sister and whatever operation she and her companions have in mind the moment they’ve set foot into this temple before you and Cal did.


	5. There's Always Something Greater

There was a pause in their battle. Cal and the Fourth Brother stand in either side of the room. In this predicament, it was a luxury to even have a breather. The two men slowly circled at one another from across the room.

The same questions burned Cal’s mind. He didn’t know which one to ask first. For his benefit of the doubt, he assumed that the Fourth Brother doesn’t know about you—not mentioning you protected you from him in some way—and that he was referring to his female companion who is the Inquisitor you’re currently facing off at this very moment.

“How did you come to know this place?” Cal bellowed, demanding an answer. The Fourth Brother’s silent treatment and grin was beginning to annoy him.

“Why bother knowing such mundane things that can be answered by common sense?”

Knowing that it was hopeless to get a logical and direct answer from him, Cal scoffed in frustration.

“You’re not getting that holocron!” the young Jedi snarled, perseverance burned in him as he pointed his lightsaber at the enemy.

_And you’re not getting to her!_

This provoked the Fourth Brother, causing him to initiate the duel. Once again, their blades are intercrossed, trapped in another dance of a duel. At this point, Cal had become more aggressive but calculated—timing his Force attacks, mentally coaching himself on what the Fourth Brother’s next move is going to be, and conserving his energy for bigger attacks.

The desire to protect you—and everything you cared about—at all costs was one of Cal’s motivations. Given that the Fourth Brother and his companion is a whole new threat, Cal’s resolve held water.

The Fourth Brother sensed something else from Cal. The aggression combined with a precise coordination proved something of the Jedi. For once in his life, the Inquisitor might be facing someone who could be in the same caliber as his combat skills. He came out of his way to admit—in his mind—that he had underestimated this young boy.

“Oh, you have that fire in you. A glorious inferno!” The Fourth Brother sniggered tauntingly and grinned as he shifted all his weight on a deflecting Cal, their lightsabers’ colors mingling over the gloss of his soulless eyes. “Tell me… what’s your secret?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know!?” Cal snarled back, staggered him away to restart his stance.

“If the Master could see you… Oh! He’d practically take you in our ranks.”

“Don’t count on it!”

Cal retaliated. Gathering up all his Force to send a wave towards the Fourth Brother, he sent the opponent flying and slammed his back hard against the cobblestone wall. However, this wasn’t enough to break the Inquisitor yet. There was still fight in these two men. The duel felt like an eternity.

“Oh, I most definitely _will_ count on it,” the Fourth Brother hissed suggestively.

While on his knees, the Fourth Brother feigned and was mustering up all his energy as well to get back at Cal.

“And so shall the Grand Inquisitor!” he roared, darting through the air towards Cal.

The Fourth Brother threw punches and landed his elbows hard against Cal’s jaw, disorienting the boy, followed by a series of lightsaber attacks. Fortunately, Cal was saved by his armor—the belt straps had been severed and a gash tore the hard leather.

One kick to the rib and the Fourth Brother sends back the same wave towards the Jedi, hoisting up him in the air and throwing him further across their arena. Cal plowed through the ground, denting the silt. The Fourth Brother has gained the upper hand this time.

“If I were you, I’d keep an open mind, Jedi.” The Fourth Brother huffed, slicking back the lock of hair that fell out of place.

Heavy footsteps approached the scene. From the shadows, a second figure appeared. He was unlike anything Cal has ever seen before. He wagered it must be the Grand Inquisitor whom the Fourth Brother mentioned. Tall and gaunt, he walked in the same stride as the Chiss Inquisitor—except he had a thicker air of authority looming about him—yellow eyes glimmered menacingly over a face whose skin was white as bone, red streaks tattooed on his high forehead and the underside of his eyes, lines are literally etched all over his skin.

“Hello… Cal Kestis,” the Pau’an hissed as he spoke.

Cal had this tongue tied. He wasn’t quite sure how and what to respond to that.

“You’re a promising child, I’ll give you that. Nearly at par with one of my best warriors. It’s not every day Ezir meets someone who hasn’t died in the next minute.”

Cal groaned as he tried to move and stand up, with a single abrupt wave of the Grand Inqusitor’s hand, the young Jedi is pinned down by an invisible weight, unable to move. The Pau’an slowly approaches the young man as he spoke.

“I know that—for a Jedi—it’s hard to believe what Fourth Brother is saying. After all, he is an Inquisitor. Why should you trust him? But trust _me_ , he was right on one thing: you ought to keep an open mind. And you listen to what I have to say.”

Cal broke free out of the Force that was holding him down, and struck back at the Grand Inquisitor to which he calmly deflected with his own lightsaber—it was a rather foolish move, brave yet foolish.

“Tsk, I think Ezir didn’t leave with enough fight in you for me,”

“Trust me, I think I have enough for the both of you,” Cal winced.

The Grand Inquisitor burst in a condescending laughter.

“Ah, there it is!”

“What are you going to do with the village?”

“Interesting priority you have there. I won’t go into detail, I take you to be a smart boy. I will deploy all my troops on that sad excuse of a civilization into a garrison. Should they fight back, well,” he scoffed, smirking and imagining the horrendous scene that could possibly take place. “I think you can figure that out for yourself. Just remember the last time you’ve seen an army suddenly storming in and shooting down everyone and everything in sight without question.”

A fire burned within Cal, violently thrashing and flailing within his very core, somewhat revitalizing him. The Grand Inquisitor’s provoking words became a catalyst for Cal’s newfound energy. The boy never ceased to surprise the two Inquisitors. When he was standing close enough, he unlinked his lightsabers and attacked the Grand Inquisitor in a spinning motion. Having known every single lightsaber combat form, the Grand Inquisitor was unfazed at this and easily blocked it all, leaving nary a window of opportunity for the young Jedi—however, Cal’s spirit showed and proved to be invaluable, and it greatly attracted the Grand Inquisitor.

 _A pity to kill off such a talent._ The menacing Pau’an thinks to himself while blocking Cal’s attack with little to no effort.

Meanwhile, you believed to be faring well against the Eighth Sister. The duel continued on, your energy was slowly ebbing—you were exhausted, and so is she—but one of you has to step out as the victor. She was beginning to steal the upper hand. Her litheness never faltered and continued fighting you every last fiber of her being.

The Eighth Sister, still in a brutal frenzy, sending blows at you with such vengeful rage that she got her reward of dealing damage on you. She swung her lightsaber in a diagonal streak, she had hoped she had broken skin—much to her chagrin, she only managed to damage your jacket and armor, and nicked on your shoulder.

“I’ll do better in the next one, girlie!” she screeched.

She prepares herself for the next move, switching on her lightsaber into a spinning mode to lunge right at you—her target was your torso, she had hope to cut you down like ground meat. She thought there’d be absolutely no way for you to get away from that.

 _The problem with these Inquisitors is that they underestimate the Jedi too much._ You thought to yourself, sniggering at the context of the remark.

You managed to push her away from you with the Force, and you sensed that she’s going for another one of her deadly combos the moment she regains her bearings.

_Come on, think fast!_

Your eyes wandered the entire room. You saw that she was standing between two pillars and a parapet on the verge of breaking hung above her head. Concentrating on the stone fixtures, you quickly extended your hands, your fingers curled into claws, slowly motioning your hands downward the pillars followed your direction—you visualize the parapet crumbling down to the Eighth Sister in your mind, the said beam finally reduced to a large chunk of debris as it all crumbles down onto her.

Clouds of dust gathered and wafted about in the ruin. Everything was quiet again.

“So much for a next one,” you quipped. Finally able to catch your breath.

Little did you know that the rumble of the collapse that you’ve caused thundered across not just in the second level but in the first level as well. It temporarily caught the attention of Cal and the two Inquisitors—each had their own concerns.

“Nahlei…” The Fourth Brother mumbled under his breath.

You tried to take a step forward but you suddenly fell to your knees. You clutched your chest. It seems that the Eighth Sister has done a number on you. The searing pain was still fresh, you can’t go on even if you wanted to. You figured you’d be knocked out cold before you could even actually reach the vault itself.

“Cal…” you muttered under your breath, reaching for your commlink. “Cal… can you hear me?”

Your voice, albeit faint and fading, has reached Cal’s ears. Everyone in the first level foyer has heard the sound of the collapsing stone thundering across the temple.

 _[Y/N]…!_ Cal screamed in his thoughts.

“We’ll meet again, Jedi. This isn’t over yet!” the Grand Inquisitor growled as he tossed out a flash bomb out of his pocket and escaped along with the Fourth Brother.

When the white light had dissolved from Cal’s view, he was alone in the foyer.

“They’re gone…” then he gasped, realizing you called to him via the commlink. “[y/n]!”

He rummaged his person to switch on the earpiece of his commlink.

“[y/n], are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah…” you winced and groaned. “No, not really.”

“Hold on, I’m coming to you. Where are you?”

“I’m in…” your deep breaths popped and cracked through the speaker of the comm. Even only speaking made you feel sore. “In the sanctum up ahead from the lobby, from the lobby… where we came in from. I didn’t get to the holocron, I’m sorry.”

Cal’s heart ached as the sound of your sobs overtaking your shaky voice.

“Don’t worry, I’m coming to get you. Just stay there and find someplace to hide. The Inquisitors are here,”

“No kidding, one did a number on me,”

“Stay put. I’m coming,”

“Hurry, Cal… please, it hurts…”

The young Jedi, fleet-footed as he is, scaled the vine-ridden wall and finds himself standing in the east wing of the second level. Long vines hung between the wide gaps, they bridged his path from one point to the other. When the view of the circular lobby was in sight, he sprinted across the dead halls and went to the left—where you ought to be. He entered the conclave and saw the pile of rocks that were once pillars and a parapet sitting in one side of the room. You were sitting on the ground, leaning against the fountain’s base while clutching your shoulder.

“[y/n]!” he exclaimed, his voice was mixed with relief—that you’re alive—and worried about your wounds.

“Cal…” you weakly mumbled.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here,”

“You’re hurt too…” you gasped, reaching for the tear across his armor.

“It’s nothing. Come on,”

He scooped you up in his arms, careful not to hit any of the spots where it hurts you, and cradled you close to him like a baby. A weak arm hooked over his shoulder, you tried your best to hold on tight to him.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t…”

“Shhh, it’s not your fault, hon. It’s not your fault,” he cooed, nuzzling his cheek against your hair.

He sprinted through the lobby, jumped over the gaps, the weight of you in his arms was nothing. Since you weren’t able to move well without hurting yourself, Cal managed to find an alternate exit. He leapt up in the air towards a platform where a gaping hole in the wall leads back to the outside world—the only problem is that the landing was probably a twenty-foot drop.

“Hold on tight to me, okay, [y/n]?”

You nodded weakly, you raised your good arm and held on tight on his chest, feebly clutching onto the fabric of his jumpsuit before makes the leap of faith. The Varans have heard him and they croaked at the sight of Cal. He was relieved that your mounts were still there, untouched and unscathed. Your Varan specifically anxious at the scent of cauterized blood and flesh—Varans were omnivorous creatures, but your connection with the animal did not stimulate its hunger, the creature perceived you as a companion and master. It sniffed your person and shook its head as it croaked in alarm.

“She can’t ride,” Cal spoke to the animal and mounted you on his Varan instead. “You’ll have to catch up with us.”

The reins of your Varan were long enough to tether it with Cal’s reins so it won’t stray without a rider. He secures you with both of his arms acting like a harness, letting you lean against him for the rest of the trip, and takes the reins. Fortunately enough, the Varans maintained a similar pace as Cal rode through the wasteland, on the way back to the village—given that it was the nearest place of shelter for the two of you.

Back at the temple, in the rubble where the Eighth Sister was buried alive in, it turns out that the female Inquisitor was never felled by you.

A fist tore through the debris and she pulled herself out of her supposed grave. She comes out growling, cold blue eyes blazing with a vengeance, her juvenile behavior might be the only thing that died in that collapse. She was rejoined by Ezir—namely, the Fourth Brother—as well as the Grand Inquisitor.

“I hope you can walk that off, Nahlei,” the Fourth Brother quipped.

“When I find that bitch, I’ll make sure she’ll _never_ have to walk at all!” she roared.

The Grand Inquisitor smirked at the young woman’s remark.

_Good, her hate didn’t die off with the rubble._

“Conserve that rage for another time, Eighth Sister, you will have the chance of utilizing that in the most opportune moment.”

“It would be my immense pleasure, Grand Inquisitor,”

“Come. We still have much to discuss about those Jedi,”

The pair followed the Grand Inquisitor back to their ship, eager to lay out the plans they have in mind for this planet and for you and Cal.


	6. Wounded Morale, Troubled Mind

The Varans galloped in a much faster speed compared to when you and Cal got to the temple. Cal’s entrance startled the townsfolk as the creatures croaked, their sound echoing up to the mountainside. You were on the verge of unconsciousness, Cal managed to ride faster to reach the town.

“Help! Please help!” Cal pleaded in the top of his lungs. “She’s wounded!”

More of the villagers appeared out of their homes, witnessing the arrival of the young redhead boy bringing two Varans and a wounded companion.

Razh and three of his men arrived to the scene at the sound of their Varans doing their call. The town leader immediately recognized Cal and sprinted towards his direction, he had his men hold down the creatures.

“What happened to her?”

“Enemies came and attacked us,”

Cal dismounted and turned back to you, he was about to scoop you off the saddle and carry you instead; however, you have become enough a burden to him long enough ever since you’ve left the temple.

“I can walk,” you insisted.

You tried to dismount the creature, but you nearly fell off its back without any support to hold onto. Luckily, Cal was there to catch you. He took your arm and hung it around his shoulder while his other hand supported you at the small of your back.

“Thanks,” you whispered to him.

“Come, Miera can help you with her wounds,”

“Thank you,” Cal gasped, following the kindly leader with great urgency.

The crowd that had gathered close to the scene gave way for the leader while Cal—with you in his arm—followed until you’ve reached the cottage. Razh abruptly opened the door and his wife immediately sensed that something was wrong, she sees you hanging onto Cal and dear life, and so she dropped everything and escorted you to a room.

Gently, Cal lays you down on a cot, resting your head on a pillow, you try to fight the pain in any way you can—biting your lip, breathing in sharp inhales and exhales, and focusing on the room around you as well as Cal—all this while your wounds were constantly stinging. He sat down by your left side, wiping away the sweat off your brow, and brushing back your hair into place.

“Let me fetch the medical supplies,”

“Please, thank you,” Cal then turned to you when Miera made herself busy in collecting supplies. “I’m gonna have to take off your jacket, okay?”

You and Cal coordinated on taking your clothes off as carefully and painlessly as possible. Your good shoulder was the most difficult part—Cal tried his best in stripping your jacket off while making sure you’re comfortable and not in pain while doing so.

“Now,” he gulped, dazed at the urgency and how fast everything is happening, “We’re gonna have to unbutton your shirt so I can have a better look, okay?”

“Yeah,” you nodded obediently.

Cal had the four buttons of your shirt undone, he carefully shoved the neckline down—exposing a portion of your chest and shoulder—and then the wound was already in sight: the flesh had been seared, white fluids foamed at the edges of the cut and the blood curdled along it.

“Is it bad?” you mumbled.

He looked at you, focused on your half-opened eyes—he can barely see the whites in your eyes as you fought your drooping eyelids—but even then, he knows that you demand an honest answer. Cal knew that whenever you get wounded and ask how the injury looks, you don’t like it when he sugarcoats it.

“Yeah, pretty bad,”

You take a deep breath and you bring your uninjured arm to the hem of your shirt, revealing another wound along the side of your stomach. Compared to the one on your shoulder, the gash along your torso was only a pink graze with curdled water pooling over the wound itself like a thin layer of gloss; the Eighth Sister had managed to break your skin there, but not as deep as she wanted it to be.

“What about this one? I really can’t toss and turn right now, it hurts when I do,”

“It doesn’t look bad. This one looks kinda shallow,”

“My back was hit too,” you added.

“We’ll take a look in a little while,”

You couldn’t do or say much for a reaction. You simply took a deep breath and sighed. Miera barges into the room with both of her arms full with a steel basin and a container box of supplies.

“It’s not much but it will help with giving her some relief over those wounds,”

“These will do. Thank you, Miera,”

Miera lent her hand in patching you up. She soaked and then wrung a towel in the water—which was noticeably dark green in color, you were curious and weirded out at the same time.

“ _What_ is in the water?” you grumbled.

“Simmered volcanic Magyon herbs. They are most potent when they’re extracted this way,” Miera explained as she ever so carefully dabs the greened-out towel on your wound.

You wince and gasp at the sensation of the herbal fusion seeping into your wounds. Miera apologizes as she continues the pattern of soaking, wringing, and then dabbing on your skin.

“This disinfects and cleanses the skin,” she added. “It stings because I added the zest of a Calam lime, a fruit with antiseptic properties.”

“Are you a doctor?” you asked, intrigued at the wife’s knowledge of herbal medicine, she somehow reminded you of Merrin—who was always watching over the terrarium and asking Greez for samples to make her potions.

“Yes, I was the town healer before I married Razh. But now there are more of us in the apothecary,” she smiled and finally dunked the towel back into the basin, she wiped her hands and turned to the boy. “Cal, would you please get that vial of Bacta gel?”

She pointed at a shelf hanging on Cal’s left side, he finds and takes the said vial of Bacta, and she allowed him to apply it on you. After daubing the healing gel on your shoulder and stomach wounds, the next step was dressing them. Miera fishes out a roll of bandages from the container she had brought with her.

“Can you sit up?” Miera asked worriedly.

“I… I can try…”

Immediately noticing that you were straining yourself, Miera caught you and supported you front and back. She hands over the bandage roll to Cal for him to do it, seeing that she’s got her hands full holding you. The sound of the baby crying had interrupted your procedure, Miera apologized and excused herself, assuring her that you and Cal can handle it. She thanked you before running up the stairs to attend to her baby; Cal figured this was the perfect opportunity to talk about your new enemies, you had sensed that he had been wanting to talk about it.

You slowly turned your head to the door to see if Razh was in the premises too. You toned your voice to a reserved, quiet volume only audible to Cal.

“Do they know?” you started.

“Do they what?”

“Did you tell them that it was an Inquisitor that attacked us?”

Cal shook his head.

“Do you think we should?”

“No, it’ll just cause panic in the town and we’ll lose Razh’s trust. He believed that we didn’t come here for trouble, nor did we bring it with us,”

“It rather followed us, if you asked me,” you blurted.

Cal was finishing the first layer of bandages on your torso, some parts of your gash was still visible—he meant to cover them up in the next layer.

“Who was the Inquisitor you fought off?” Cal asked while doing his job.

“She called herself the Eighth Sister,”

“Come to think of it, I think I heard the Fourth Brother mention a name—like, an actual real name,”

“So, you’ve met one yourself,” you said in surprise, although in a soft tone. You smiled and scoffed. “No wonder it took you so long to get to me.”

The two of you exchange giggles. Cal was relieved that your spirit doesn’t seem to be broken by your showdown with the Eighth Sister, but his smile vanished as fast as it came.

He was arguing with himself whether or not to mention the Grand Inquisitor to you and the plan that he disclosed to Cal earlier in the temple, he even though about warning the villagers that the town will be raided by the Inquisitors’ army once they have the Holocron. But what was his proof? You and he only came to this planet with the sole objective of retrieving the Holocron in the temple—not to bring trouble at your tail.

He wrapped your stomach in the bandage until your gash was fully covered—not a single bit of it could be seen peeking out of the bindings. Later, Miera came back and she switched roles with Cal, she made it up to you by volunteering to do the bandages on your shoulder instead.

“You were lucky to even get out of there alive,” Miera commented.

“I honestly thought I was a goner,” you admit.

“And here you are now,” she cooed, finishing the wrappings with a tight knot over your shoulder. “There, that should do it.”

And with the final step of the procedure, BD-1 opened his stim tray for Cal to get one out of him.

“Thanks, bud,” Cal smiled.

He injects the stim into your arm, there was a relieving and soothing sensation as the substance leaves the green cylinder and enters your bloodstreams. The needle was ejected and left a pinprick on your skin.

“You need to rest. I’ll make some broth for you two. You’re obviously exhausted,”

“Thank you,” you and Cal say in unison.

“You’ve done… too much for us already. We’re really grateful,” you added.

“Aren’t you just sweet? It’s my pleasure, you two. Now, sit tight and wait for your supper.”

When Miera disappeared into the kitchen, Cal turned to you and combed your hair with his fingers. You closed your eyes for a while as you waited for your supper. The town leader’s lovely wife didn’t make you wait that long, she eventually entered your room and handed over the two bowls to Cal. You made an effort to sit up and feed yourself. You were confident that you weren’t too weak to hold a spoon to your mouth.

“I’ll be out when you need me,” Miera said before dismissing herself and returning to her husband and son.

There was little to talk about between meals. The two of you peacefully enjoyed your dinner, exchanging glances and small smiles was communication enough, until Cal couldn’t take the silence after finishing his meal.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better,” your eyes shift to BD-1. “Thanks to you and BD-1.”

The droid chirped back a “You’re welcome” in droidspeak, his antennas happily jerked up while doing so. You managed a weak smile, but it easily faded as soon as the bad thoughts come flooding in.

“Look, Cal, I’m really sorry,” you muttered within earshot. “I was so close… I just got caught up with fighting the Eighth Sister and…”

He shushed you tenderly, cupping your cheek, and squeezing your hand.

“No, no… I keep telling you, it wasn’t your fault. I know, I understand. You don’t have to beat yourself up about it.”

“I just… I think I messed up back there. You know? If I dodged her attacks better, then we wouldn’t be here—we would still be in the temple,”

“The universe has a funny way of telling us that we’re in the right place at the wrong time,”

Those words were true and you can’t help but agree with him. You mouthed a hushed “You’re right,” finally concurring with him and relaxing yourself, ceasing all thoughts of blaming yourself that you weren’t able to recover the Holocron.

“But we _have_ to get them before the Inquisitors do. This village shouldn’t be involved in this mess,” you said in a hushed voice only within Cal’s earshot. “I don’t think they stand a chance against them.”

Cal’s eyes shifted, there was a cautious glint in them as he heard you, both of you were watchful of Miera and Razh in the other room—careful not to let your exchange be heard of from the town leader and his wife. The exchange became more private and discreet, making sure that only the two of you could understand.

“I know. Hopefully, we can get the Holocron _and_ take them down before they could even catch a glimpse of this place,” he added.

Suddenly, the words of the Grand Inquisitor repeated in his mind, his voice rang vividly in the young Jedi’s mind. He couldn’t bear to keep this away from you. He didn’t want to worry you of the things that are at stake under the promise of the Grand Inquisitor.

 _An army like never before!_ The haunting last promise of the Grand Inquisitor lucidly screamed in Cal’s ears.

He winced, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine… Just a sudden headache. Nothing to worry about,”

“Oh, okay,” your eyes trailed for a bit. “Could you sleep next to me?”

He smiled, “Of course.”

He lies down on the bed right next to you, careful not to hit your shoulder and accidentally hurt you. He gently wrapped his arm around you as you cuddled, he nuzzled his cheek against your head, his hand playing with the strands of your hair until you fell asleep.

The thought of the Inquisitors that he had faced earlier—especially the Grand Inquisitor and his menacing promise—has been running around in his mind all day now. He couldn’t bear to keep on hiding this from you. He had already begun when he didn’t mention the Grand Inquisitor to you moments ago, he feared how long it will take for him to hold his silence and the truth from you.

“I swear I’ll do anything to not let you get hurt ever again.” He whispered to you, already dozed off like a baby. He snuck a kiss on your forehead as he caressed your face with his thumb.

He figured that it was a race against time.

Something needs to be done. But what?


	7. Hard Bargain

The wee hours have arrived. The village was as silent as the cliffs, a visitation of the evening breeze blanketing the streets in a thin, low haze. The moonlight shone through the shutters and windows of the houses. Cal feels for your steady breathing, your hand secured under his hold, he couldn’t catch a whole, long wink of sleep as the thoughts and imaginings come flooding through his mind.

He couldn’t suppress the shudder that trailed along his spine, his paranoia had turned into goosebumps riddling every pore of his arms, and the hairs on his nape stood up at the echoing, fainting voice of the Inquisitors—their condescending yet threatening tones and their diabolical cackling as they relish on the idea of their plans.

It frustrated him that he couldn’t get them out of his head, given that they had indirectly involved you in their plans—because you’ve taken down one of their own.

A day has passed for you to recover from your wounds. Your bindings had to be changed at least thrice that day; compared to yesterday, you were much abler to move around after a single shot of a healing stim and a good night’s rest. However, Miera strongly disagreed with the idea of you seeing battle.

“Try not to strain yourself,” she gently scolded.

“I’ll try,” there was an uncertainty in your voice, even if it was just half a promise.

You and Cal vocally planned to attempt returning to the temple again. The cover story you told to Razh and Miera was passable: you weren’t able to retrieve the holocron was because you were sidetracked by some graverobbers who used detonators in duel.

Razh had offered supplies from his own inventory to help you replenish your stocks—food rations, a large canister of water, and medical supplies. He even lends you the same Varans the two of you used yesterday. Miera insisted you two have breakfast first.

While you and Cal shared a table with the kindly couple, you steal glances at their baby son who would do his crooked wave at the two of you. He would smile and then giggle whenever either of you would smile back or make little noises to play with him; at one point later, he flimsily rested his little, chubby hand on the back of your arm and cooed playfully at you.

When the meal was over, you washed up and fixed yourself; finally able to wear your jacket by yourself, you marched out of the house with a backpack full of supplies. The Varans recognized your scent and they loudly croaked at the sight of you—a sign of a happy kind of greeting that these animals do.

“Hey there, good to see you too!” you greeted your Varan as you took its reins.

“Try not to get yourself killed a second time,” Razh blurted, particularly to you.

“Don’t worry, I don’t think I will,” you grinned, meaning what you say even while doing so in between chuckles.

The pair of Varans kicked the dust and left a trail of wind billowing Razh’s cloak. The town leader watches his two guests depart the village until they were reduced to black specks over the distance as they rode on.

It was strange, you thought, that you were feeling much better compared to yesterday—and only a short amount of time had passed for you to recover. You wagered it had something to do with Miera’s herbal water plus BD-1’s stim.

When you came down to the pass by the side of the mountain ridge, your eyes wandered all over your surroundings—searching for troopers that might be hiding amongst the rocks—as the Varans trotted along the path. Like the first time, your mounts were uneasy when they had sensed that you were going in the same path as before; you and Cal attempted to calm the creatures as you went along—the great reptilian steeds fought against the dominating strengths of their riders, until you remembered that if they’re agitated, they’re most likely to rear and sprint away, unable to be caught up to.

“Come on, let’s just continue by foot. They can wait there,” you nodded at a dead tree hollow along the path, Cal eventually caved. The two of you dismounted and tethered the creatures to the tree trunk.

The hike had become longer than the first since the Varans were a little farther from where you last left them. On the way to the main entrance, it was the same route, you had to take a hike and jump across the crumbled outdoor stairs that lead straight to the main door.

“Hey, you okay? You’re _unusually_ and awfully quiet,” you nudged at Cal when the two of you landed after the last gap.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just the same funny feeling like the first time we got here,”

“Me too,”

“How are you holding up?”

“Great,”

“Come on,” he brings his hand on your back and guided you as the both of you walked. He would steal glances at you—they were fleeting and private, you barely notice them; if you look back at him—unbeknownst to you—there will be that withdrawn, straight-faced expression, with his eyebrows slightly furrowed together. You can sense a level of paranoia in him, though you hesitate to ask what’s causing it.

The main entrance was getting close. The two of you hatch up a plan and a new strategy in case more of the Inquisitors make a jump on either of you.

“Okay, this time, we’re definitely _not_ splitting up,” Cal initiated.

“Yeah, that didn’t work out well the first time,” you blurted half-jokingly.

It was decided that the two of you head straight ahead to the conclave where you last fought and took down the Eighth Sister. You don’t know how you’d feel if you passed by the improper tomb of the Mirialan Inquisitor, but an eerie thought jumped into your mind.

As you got to the center of the lobby—not even yet close to the makeshift bridge where you two got separated—Stormtroopers came sprouting out of every direction imaginable in the lobby, one cluster of troopers was spearheaded by a Purge Trooper—each one wielding different type of weapon.

“You’re surrounded!” a dual-wielding Purge Trooper hissed arrogantly and confidently.

“There’s nowhere to run, Jedi!” a Stormtrooper, faceless in the swarm, added.

Out of impulse, you and Cal ignited your lightsabers, but before one of the Stormtroopers could squeeze the trigger, the redheaded Jedi flung out his arms to their full length—a powerful wave rippled out of his very person, in result, _all_ of the enemies surrounding you were enveloped in an invisible dome that hindered their every movement.

Cal had them under the influence of his empowered Force Slow.

“Go, I’ll stall them!!!” Cal bellowed, preparing his sequence of whom to attack first until the last of them.

“No, I’m not leaving you alone here!!” you argued.

“PLEASE, [Y/N], JUST GO!! THERE’S NO TIME!!”

There was no time for more argument. You slipped past the gaps between the frozen Stormtroopers standing and moving slower than a snail’s pace. Your legs carried you swiftly and lightly, hopping from one stepping stone to another; in the place of the crumbled portion, you spot a tangle of vines hanging above the parapets, you pulled it towards you using the Force and swung across the gap.

Behind your back, you can hear the wild hissing of Cal’s lightsaber landing on the Stormtroopers’ armors. You dared not to look back and kept pushing, even if it was against your own heart’s will, and stepped into the conclave and approached the door to the inner sanctum of the Holocron.

You tried to clear your mind and focus all your Force on the door. You hoist your hand, your fingers resting on the ornate, spherical knob between the single seam of the sealed door; it was difficult to drown out the sounds of the skirmish outside, nevertheless, you’ve successfully channeled your Force to trigger the door’s mechanism. Finally, you’ve gained access into the inner sanctum.

The splendor of the sanctum made your jaw drop. Upon your arrival, the entire enclave was suddenly illuminated primarily by bioluminescent matter—the cyan-colored matter traced the etchings on the walls and floors, it seemed viscous and gelatinous but it moved fluidly like water. The untouched beauty felt alive—as if it was still in its prime—compared to its dead husk seen on the outside. It felt like time had stopped moving. Everything felt stagnant, yet alive; hollow, yet full of wonder.

The center beacon—although small—was hypnotizing as it was mesmerizing. You moved toward it, not realizing that your legs were moving on their own, gravitating towards the artifact patiently waiting in its little pedestal.

Meanwhile, Cal was able to thin the swarm of enemies—easily cutting down the Stormtroopers, by pulling a number of them towards him so he could cut them down in one fell swoop with his dual-edged lightsaber. He unintentionally left the Purge Troopers for last, although he was able to kill the rifleman Purge Trooper in the middle of fighting the others.

“We will have your blood, Jedi!” the Purge Trooper roared, hammering the ground with the pommel of his electrohammer to assert dominance.

Cal was caught between fighting the dual-wielding and the electrohammer Purge Troopers, but he maximized in using his Force abilities to distribute his attacks on each one. Within a matter of minutes, it was only the electrohammer Purge Trooper that remained.

The brute was slow—enough for Cal to evade him and afford a strike when he’s wide open—although to compensate for that movement, the impacts of his attacks were heavy and deadly. Slowing down the enemy once more, a great overhead strike from the lightsaber made the Purge Trooper’s body go limp to the ground.

Cal watched the electrohammer clatter to the ground—its indigo cracks of electricity gradually flickering and fading—while he catches his breath after singlehandedly taking down a dozen of Stormtroopers and Purge Troopers combined.

“Well, well,” a familiar voice echoed across the lobby. “I wonder how many more surprises you have in store, my boy.”

Cal’s boots skidded across the rough, stone floor, he turned around to his back and saw the Grand Inquisitor standing in front of him; hands held behind his back, his frame constantly towering over Cal and anyone else before him, he kept his observant glower at the young Jedi.

More Stormtroopers appeared out of the pitch black openings of the passages that branched out of the lobby; some appeared out of the doorways, a handful of them—accompanied with Purge Troopers—have pooled and gathered along the broken-off paths that point to the conclave. They held their stance and will only shoot upon the signal of the person in command: the Grand Inquisitor.

“You’re too late! We beat you to the holocron,” Cal spat.

The Pau’an smirked and scoffed through his narrow nostrils.

“See those?” he tilts his head slightly, then points to the Purge Troopers perched on the upper platforms within the lobby. “Upon my order, they will shoot your sweet, darling girl constantly until she is nothing but shreds _right in front of you._ She will be completely and easily overtaken; and then I will easily take the Holocron from her cold, dead hands.”

A provoked Cal gripped too tightly around his hilt that its sleeve was beginning to creak. The Inquisitor continued his exposition, peppering in his sociopathic chuckles in between his words.

“After that, the village,” he wagged his finger sarcastically. “Oh, the village is an interesting thing: either I garrison the place or my men will plow them down—every last denizen: man, woman, and child—if they ever do so much as point a weapon at a Stormtrooper!”

“Yeah,” Cal hummed angrily, assuming into a stance. “That’s not gonna happen.”

Grand Inquisitor showed one hand holding his saber hilt. One blood-red beam of light emerged, and then another. Cal still had some strength in him left, he snapped his fingers and like second nature, BD-1 shoots out a stim canister at him. The Grand Inquisitor smirked.

“That stim won’t save you, not by a long shot, boy,” He growled.

“Then I’ll make it sure it won’t go to waste!” Cal clapped back.

This is the first time Cal and the Grand Inquisitor clashed blades against one another. This was a firsthand experience for Grand Inquisitor to see how much caliber this youthful Jedi has. Automatically, the Pau’an would always assume he will emerge the victor—but as soon as his blood-red saber collided with Cal’s, he sensed something in this boy that intrigued him.

 _This child…_ he thought while keeping a straight face in battle. _Is something else. A worthy asset._

Although the battle lacked the theatrics that the Fourth Brother loved so much, it still felt like it dragged on. Cal carefully strategized his every, single move on when and where he was going to strike the Grand Inquisitor.

“Come on, boy! Give me that spectacle you showed with the Fourth Brother!”

The Grand Inquisitor mostly acted on frenzy and violence, hence his fast and aggressive moves. Whenever Cal assumed that he had figured out the enemy’s lightsaber form, that is when the cunning Inquisitor adapts and gradually shifts into a whole new form. When the young Jedi knight realized this, he could not help the fear wash over him and the Grand Inquisitor sensed it.

 _Where is she?!_ Cal snarled in his mind, impatient for you to come out of that inner sanctum with the Holocron in your hand.

Little did he know that you got yourself trapped into a Force-induced trance; mentally, you were unable to get out of it and you were already desperate to leave the physical recess of your mind and return to your senses. Voices of millennia past spoke and whispered into your ear, words demanding to be heeded overlapped in your mind—some were angry, some were in despair, the melancholic and gentle ones have been drowned out by the louder ones—you couldn’t narrow it all down to one because it was so overwhelming… and you haven’t even touched the Holocron yet!

For a while, it didn’t appear that the Grand Inquisitor is tiring out nor will he be anytime soon. Perhaps, this was his strategy: to tire out Cal and strike him down. The young knight was already noticeably sluggish, he was only repressing it for as long as he can until he could win a chance to send a flurry of attacks.

“Pitiful!” the Grand Inquisitor spat, throwing a punch and planting his elbow against the boy’s back, for a finisher, he kicked Cal hard and straight to the stomach.

Cal staggered and fell to his knees.

“I’m not finished with you yet!”

“Oh? From the looks of it, you’re already losing,”

“No…” Cal muttered under his breath, blankly staring at the floor with his head bowed down, sucking in large amounts of air as he tries to regain himself.

“Do you want to save her, Cal?”

Cal didn’t respond, whether that was a genuine question or a rhetoric, the Grand Inquisitor knows what belies in that sprightly, young heart of his. In a startling act of mercy, the red beams disappeared into the hilt, the Pau’an walked towards the Jedi and bent down to his level.

“I will not take the holocron, I will spare the village… if you come with me.”

A malicious, triumphant smile curled in the Grand Inquisitor’s face. The shakiness of Cal’s eyes, glassy with confusion and fear, was the first sign of his vulnerability. The Pau’an believed he’s won. He has broken through the boy and his desires.

“As your prisoner and hostage? Please, I still have some dignity left!” Cal spat.

“Oh-ho-ho, no, my boy, no!” the Grand Inquisitor sarcastically gasped. “You will be something, someone, more than a prisoner… _way beyond_ a Jedi!”

“I…” Cal coughed. “I won’t…!”

“Very well, then,” he replied in a melancholic tone. He promptly stood up and turned around, facing the direction of the conclave; instantaneously his tone towards his Stormtroopers sounded like his normal self. “Men, take aim! Kill the girl at all costs. After her, your next directive is the village!”

“WAIT!” Cal cried. In a desperate act, he finally submits. “ALRIGHT, I’LL DO IT!!”

A single, instant raise of the Inquisitor’s arm quickly changed his directive over his troopers from “Shoot to Kill” to “Hold Fire.”

A grin that stretched from ear-to-ear covered his face almost entirely, his topaz eyes gleamed victoriously. He glanced over his shoulder, watching Cal slowly bring himself to his feet. Cal’s eyes were sullen as he levels his eyes to the Grand Inquisitor.

“I’ll come with you,” Cal huffed. “Just don’t hurt her… I can’t live without her.”

“Good. You _are_ a smart, young lad after all.”


	8. Cal's Dark Deeds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: This is the only chapter where depictions of violence are portrayed. I figured I had to add it in the tags later on, even if it was only for this particular chapter.

You gravitate to the Holocron resting on its pedestal. The nearer you got, the louder the voices became—overlapping at one another, battling for your attention. Only some of their words were distinct, they were calling for your name followed by another word that you could not yet comprehend.

Your hand slowly reaches for the artifact; the light around it was so blinding that you had to squint your eyes as you try to grab it.

When your fingers have finally closed around the glowing cyan cube, a heavy, warping sensation cloaks you from head to toe—it’s as if you were being sucked into the black vacuum of space—images flashed before your eyes, an indescribable feeling lingered within your very core, and then suddenly, everything from the voices to the cries was reduced to a single, faceless, unseen entity.

_[y/n]…_

It called to you. The sound of the voice was warm and familiar, you could’ve sworn your heart skipped a beat when you heard it say your name.

You dared to utter a name. A word you haven’t used in a long time.

“Master?”

_[y/n], remember your training._

You spun around where you stood, searching the entire chamber for the source of the voice—nothing.

_Heed me well: do not let fear and inhibition trample on what you believe in. Trust only in the Force._

“Master, wait!”

Then the chamber was entirely silent. That rhapsody of feelings, sounds, and images have vanished out of existence. The viscous, bioluminescent substance tracing the etches across the walls and floor have lost their bright glow, albeit they remained; even the light of the holocron’s pedestal dimmed out when its precious treasure have been taken out of its place.

You examine the cyan cube framed with gold, amazed that the metal has never tarnished after being sealed away in this tomb.

“Cal…!” you gasped, not realizing how long you’ve been inside this chamber. To you, it felt like only a few moments have passed.

You tucked the holocron in your backpack and hurried out of the chamber. The door rumbled as it opened.

“Cal, I got…!” your smile melted away. “It…?”

Much to your surprise, the foyer was as empty as it was when you entered it. You surveyed the entire foyer, you crossed the gap again until you were on stable ground. You looked at the doorways that lead to the passages, the platforms that he may have climbed up, and even the exit.

_No, he couldn’t have left me on purpose!_

“Cal?” you called again.

Attempting to radio call him proved to be futile. There was no answer on his end.

“No, it can’t be…” you muttered to yourself, thinking about scouring the first levels and the other passages that he may have gone to—which, not much later, you did but the result remained the same.

In your haste, you climbed the vines that covered the wall at the lobby ruins where Cal and the Fourth Brother battled yesterday. You sprinted back to the foyer, as it childish as you thought it would be, you had hoped that he will reappear in that spot where you left him. Your faith in Cal’s ability to take down that many Stormtrooper was faltering.

 _He’s strong. He’s not that easily taken down._ You thought to yourself as you head for the exit.

The growing paranoia in you had heightened your senses, making you hypervigilant. While being aware of the possible presence of Stormtroopers and Purge Troopers hiding amongst the rocks on the clifftops, you sprinted along the path where the Varans were tethered.

Again, you had hoped that Cal would be there sitting on his own Varan waiting for you. The result was the same as the temple.

He was nowhere to be found.

The pair of Varans were behaving wildly. They were rearing, standing on their hind legs as they loudly croaked and clicked; you tried your best to calm both of them down, holding them by the reins and gently tugging them until their muzzles were close enough for you to pet.

“Where is he?” you say under your breath, you had wish the creatures could speak. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

The creatures chirped in agreement. You connected the reins of the two reptilian steeds before riding your own Varan.

“I hope I’m wrong,” you sighed.

You kicked the side of the creature’s belly with your stirrup and the Varan went darting through the plains on the way back to the village. Your heartbeat pounded loudly, its rhythm almost synchronized with the Varans’ galloping; as you rode, you could not shake the thoughts that were forming in your mind. The only consolation being that they are only imaginings that took form at the expense of your paranoia.

Unfortunately, Cal had already beat you to the village. A cloud of sand signaled the arrival of a convoy consisting of a shuttle and a pair of small transport ships, the village was already on high alert as the triad of black ships landed right outside the town border.

Razh and a company of perhaps all of the men in the town, from the adolescent boys brave enough to come with up to the able-bodied elders who could still swing a staff, were armed to the teeth—possibly ten times more than when you and Cal first arrived—the small army marched to the entrance of their town, ready to greet the intruders. The women, children, and elderly have retreated to their homes—locking their doors, shutting and barring the windows until the background behind this small band of protectors fell silent, and only the wind disturbing the dust spoke.

There was a medley of anxiety and eagerness amongst the men as they anticipate for the ship’s door to open and reveal their unexpected visitors.

“You better be prepared,” the Grand Inquisitor cooed, standing in front of the door with Cal by his side.

“I am.” Cal simply yet firmly replied.

The shuttle’s door hissed as it retracted into its frame. The two stepped out of the ship, the transport ships’ had already dispatched a handful of Stormtroopers each—there are more inside, obediently and patiently waiting for the command.

Cal appeared—alongside the Grand Inquisitor—Razh recognized him immediately when he walked closer. The Grand Inquisitor, imposing as he always is, terrified the men but Razh tried to calm them down, repeating the words “Steady, men” until the vocal shudders were silenced. He could not believe what he’s seeing. This ought to be the heaviest shock of his life so far, and he was already hoping for the worst.

“Cal? What are you doing? Who are these people?!”

“What’s the meaning of this?!” an elderly man who made sure he stood out for his voice to be heard, pushed his way through the crowd.

Cal did not answer the bombardment of questions. The Grand Inquisitor leaned closer to Cal’s ear, his jaw slightly moved as he spoke, inaudible to Razh and the rest of his crew.

“Give the command, Cal,” uttered the Grand Inquisitor.

“What is he saying? Cal, what did he say?”

“I’m sorry, Razh,” Cal raised his arm, visible enough for the Stormtroopers rallied behind him and the Grand Inquisitor. The soldiers that were stiff as a pole at one second, became firm in their aiming stances in the next. “You were a gracious host… but now I will do what I must.”

At the simple flick of his two fingers, all of the Stormtroopers squeezed the triggers of their blasters; Razh and some his men managed to dodge the bullets but a large fraction of them had been gunned down. More of the Stormtroopers spilled out of the transport ships, they sprinted through the skirmish that was happening on the ground, and their targets were the residents shut inside their homes.

Nobody was spared.

A mother had been gunned down for protecting her children, a blast from the barrel of the Stormtrooper’s rifle found its mark on her forehead. The children were slain before her lifeless body could even fall flat on the ground—all it took was one shot for each.

One. Two. Three. Four.

An elderly couple, hiding in their bedroom and coddled up to one another in fear, did not put up much of a fight when a Flametrooper kicked down their door; when the old husband knew that pleading and begging will never save them, he embraced his frail wife closer and tighter until his lips could touch her forehead.

Her trembling sob was the final thing he heard before the trooper pulled the trigger of his flamethrower.

The babies’ chances of survival were the slimmest. Even if they were kept hidden in their houses while their mothers dared to fight back and were slaughtered in the process, a single blast startled them horribly and they began to bawl, their cover ultimately blown and discovered by the raiding Scout Troopers.

While carnage ensued in each and every home, the skirmish continued; the men hindering the Stormtroopers from coming close to their doorstep, desperately attempting to protect their families.

“Why are you doing this?! WHAT HAVE WE EVER DONE TO YOU?! I GAVE YOU SHELTER, I SHARED MY TABLE WITH YOU, MY WIFE NURSED [Y/N] TO HEALTH… AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY US?!?!” Razh roared in rage, stuck in a spiraling confusion where he could not process that this was his reality now.

“You will never understand, Razh. Never.” Cal uttered, devoid of remorse as the cries of death spilled out of every window and door in the town.

“Please, Cal…” Razh’s voice warbled, and he ended up speaking in sobs. “Leave Miera and my son… my sweet Yenzo… leave them out of this!”

Cal’s eyes drooped, giving Razh a false hope of mercy as the pensive expression was painted all over the young Jedi’s face. He smacked his lips to give his verdict.

“I think I can,” Razh’s eyes lit up as soon as he heard Cal’s answer, but the Jedi’s eyes glanced over the leader’s shoulder. He gestured a nod in the direction he was looking at to Razh. “But I don’t think _they_ will.”

Razh quickly turned around to his back, his eyes widens in fear as he finds a trio of Scout Troopers armed with electrostaffs, spearheaded by a commander, barging into his shouts. Miera’s shouts of struggle sent Razh into a panic.

“MIERA!! NO!!”

A Stormtrooper held Miera violently by the hair while she never let go of their son, Yenzo—who was nearly breathless from all his terrified crying.

Now, Razh was at a standstill. Should he attack Cal? Or go to his wife and son?

Razh tightened his grip around his weapon’s hilt, preparing for retaliation. He comes charging towards Cal with his staff held high over his head, Cal had anticipated this. Their weapons collided, his staff pressing against the beam of his lightsaber. The young Jedi’s face was a blank slate, except for the ominous glower in his pale jade eyes; he looks again over Razh’s shoulder and nods again, he looked behind him—and the next moment will truly be the most devastating in all of the town leader’s life.

Without hesitation, the other Stormtroopers jabbed Miera and baby Yenzo with their staffs until the high voltage forcefully sent coursing through their bodies had rendered them lifeless. The light in Miera’s eyes was extinguished as she stared at her husband, until the speck of life that clung finally died with her. The swaddled infant, cold and lifeless like his mother, rolled away from her arms as they fell to the dust.

“NOOOO!!!!” Tears pooled and rolled down Razh’s cheek as he roared, heartbroken and ultimately destroyed upon witnessing the slaughter of his family.

The grip on his weapon was failing, but there was still a fire in him that allowed him to fight with all his might. A typical act of wrath, the Grand Inquisitor thinks. Cal brandished his lightsaber and deflected Razh’s weapon. Cal fought dirty, kicking Razh hard on the shin before being killing him.

Along the way, you suddenly felt a stabbing feeling in your chest. The vein in your neck throbbed as the dust in the wind pricked your cheeks. The negative thoughts came back to you instantaneously, itching to devour your sanity.

You remember the words of your late master that echoed in the chamber. Following her advice, you fought off the thoughts while you tried to keep your grip firm on the reins; constantly hoping that Cal is unharmed, that he will be waiting for you, and that every bad thing in your mind is just a hyperbolic figment of your imagination.

“COME ON!!!” you bellowed at your Varan, wildly snapping at the reins, prompting it to go faster.

When the silhouette of the town was becoming more and more visible, relief grew in your heart, but as you got closer, smoke wafted out of the skyline and the smell had alerted the animals. Your eyes furrowed in curiosity, heeling the Varans to a slower pace but they were jerking their heads from side to side as you approached the town.

After passing through the town’s arch, you were met with what could be the most inhumane scene that you’ve ever laid eyes on. You can feel your stomach sinking to your feet. The burnt awnings and canopies explain the smoke that you saw from a distance. Shards of clay pots and wood scattered across the sand. Bodies were strewn all over the streets.

“Oh… Oh no…” you were at a loss for words that perhaps all you could do was faint.

You dismounted the Varan and untied the connected reins, allowing the animals to investigate the scene with you.

Everywhere you looked, there was the touch of death.

You peered over the doors that had apparently been broken down, only to find the interior in a complete disarray—as if a great windstorm had gotten inside their house. The stench of charred flesh drew you to a house whose door was hanging open.

“Hello? Is… anybody there?” you called as you step into the abode.

You treaded carefully along the common space of the house, the odor got stronger every step—the scent had led you to a room with a door left ajar, you pushed the door open and immediately wished that you never did that, you gasped in horror at the discovery the charred bodies of the elderly couple who fell victim to a Flametrooper.

Your knees were noodles, bringing you down to the floor, your stomach sinking to the bottom of your feet—you couldn’t keep your eyes off the body even if you so desperately wanted to.

Now, you were frantic to find any survivors and the call of the Varans may have helped you with that.

You struggled to regain your bearings and then ran out of the house to find the creatures—they repeated their hollering, waiting for you to come quickly. You find them nuzzling their snouts against a bunch of bodies—one of which still appeared to be half-alive.

“Razh…?” you whispered.

You went closer and confirmed that it was indeed Razh. He ceaselessly wept in a haunting and sorrowful howl while he lies next to the corpses of his wife and child. The trail of blood that led to him implied that he worm-crawled all the way from the spot where he had stood to where Miera and Yenzo lay dead when they were executed.

He viciously shook away your hand from his shoulder. You caught a glimpse of Yenzo’s face; it was pink and soft when you last saw him, now the baby’s skin had purpled, riddled with reddened veins trailing all over his cheeks, stuck in a permanent expression of a wakeless slumber.

Razh refused to be touched by anyone—not even you—but you understood that he was in a state of shock and trauma. You tenderly spoke to him, calming him down.

“Razh, it’s me, I won’t hurt you,” you consoled.

“My love, my baby…!” he bawled, completely incapable to utter other words besides those.

“What happened here?” you said, as you continued to survey the land.

“Cal…” the mention of his name sounded like a warbled grunt.

You leaned closer to hear better.

“I’m sorry… I couldn’t understand that. Who did this?”

“It was Cal!” he shouted, then his voice returned to a whimper, ignoring you and gazing back at his wife while caressing her cold, hard cheek as if still hoping that she would wake along with their baby.

You couldn’t believe what Razh said. You demanded an explanation, but you knew that you wouldn’t get much from a grieving man lying next to his dead family, expecting nothing but for death to come to him as well.

“No… it can’t be… He wouldn’t!” you shuddered in disbelief. You slumped to the ground, sitting close enough to see baby Yenzo. The sight of the dead child brought you to tears and gave in to your grief.

It was the least you could do, you wept with Razh and offered to help him bury Miera and Yenzo, along with the other townsfolk—he politely declined, shaking his head and saying it’s useless for he will die very soon, he is just waiting for it. He requested you to leave him alone to grieve. Out of respect, you obliged.

Having not much to do, you decided to look for clues, your Varan followed you along in the investigation.

Not much later, you heard a familiar beeping amongst the earthenware sitting outside one of the huts. Your head jerked up, frantically searching for the sound—it was perhaps your only hope.

“BD…?” You breathed.

A pair of lens and an antenna peeked out behind the pots. BD-1 showed himself out of his hiding place when he saw you and excitedly scampered towards you.

“BD-1!!!” You exclaimed, beckoning him to your arms which he happily leapt on. “Aw, am I so glad to see you! Where’s Cal?”

BD-1 chirped a series of trills and notes, his panicked tone wasn’t a good sign. He told everything single thing to you—right from the beginning where the Grand Inquisitor arrived at the ambush back in the temple up until this moment in the town.

The little droid finally gave what you were looking for: Cal’s location.

“Cere, are you there?” you call over in your radio.

“I’m here. What’s happened?”

“I’ll explain in the ship,”

You cut off the communication and brought BD-1 to your shoulder for him to perch on, you hastily mounted your Varan and then snapped its reins—sending you out of the town and into the wasteland, back to where the Mantis was waiting for you.

You weren’t sure how you’re going to lay it on the crew. As a matter of fact, you still weren’t sure what had happened.


	9. Descent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also made up this new planet. ^^ Hope you guys are enjoying the fic so far! This has been a real trip for me and a fun one at that. :)

Cere had waited for you outside the Mantis. Using her hand as a visor over her eyes, she patiently surveyed the plains for any sign of your coming. Behind you as the Varan galloped through the wilderness, a trail of dust gathered and then wafted up in the air—like a beacon in Cere’s perspective.

At first, she couldn’t make out much of what she’s seeing because she could only see a black speck in front of a plume of dust. You continuously snapped the reins to regain more speed—if there is any more the Varan could handle—until you became more visible to Cere’s view.

Cere couldn’t and didn’t want to believe what she’s seeing—there was only _one_ of you. She told herself that Cal was probably sitting behind you, but every passing minute as you got closer, she was beginning to believe she was wrong.

You heeled the Varan and it reared in front of Cere.

“[y/n], what happened? Where’s Cal?”

You didn’t reply. You dismounted the creature, held its muzzle close to you for one final pet, and you stuck your forehead on the flat of its snout.

“Go find your way home,” you whispered before releasing the reins.

The animal, wild and free again, darted through the plains, becoming a dark moving speck in the wasteland until it disappeared. Cere repeated her question to you. BD-1 chirped a nonchalant “Hi” to the woman.

“Let’s go inside,” you said sullenly.

Upon your entrance into the Mantis, you were greeted with the same question asked by Greez, Merrin was as equally curious as the other two. You unbuckled the strap of your bag containing the holocron and dumped it on the couch.

“[y/n], what happened?” Greez asked again.

You take a deep breath, gathering the right words and finding the courage to even utter them as clearly as possible. Pacing around in small, tight circles as you look up at the ship’s ceiling while thinking carefully of how you’re going to put it to them.

“An Inquisitor has taken Cal. They’ve already fled the planet, I never caught up to him. I never saw him either,”

“But you two went together to the temple, weren’t you?” Cere pressed.

“We were ambushed by Stormtroopers when we got inside the temple. He told me to get inside the chamber and get the holocron, he held them off. When I got to the holocron, I think the Force gave me a vision of sorts, I didn’t realize that a long time had passed while I was under… then I got out of the chamber and I never saw him,”

“Was he kidnapped? Taken hostage?” Cere pressed.

You shook your head in reply.

“They… The Stormtroopers…” you trailed off at the thought of the massacre at the town, you couldn’t longer repress the tears welling up behind your eyes until they rolled down your cheeks, the sinking feeling in your heart made you choke on your words as you struggled to continue speaking. You lousily wiped away the tears in your eyes with your sleeve. Impulsively, Merrin approached and held you—putting her arm around your shoulder, whispering “It’s okay” while you regain your bearings.

“They slaughtered all of the people in the settlement. Every single person living there. The leader, he… he told me Cal gave the order!”

“And BD told all of that to you?” Cere confirmed.

“He was the only one with Cal that time, he must’ve let go or lost his grip in the middle of that massacre. Why wouldn’t I believe BD?”

“Where is he now?”

BD-1 repeated the same string of chirps and trills to everyone, but only you were able to translate it.

“The Inquisitors have another fortress,” you said softly. “In Koboth, that’s in the Mustafar System.”

“Captain, get ready for takeoff,” Cere firmly said.

“Copy that,”

Cere and Greez immediately strode to the cockpit, not sparing a moment and immediately setting themselves in work mode. You approached the holotable and typed the coordinates until a preview of the planet in its hologram form materialized. Koboth is thirteen parsecs away from Magyon.

The Mantis slowly hoisted itself off the ground while Greez made quick work of pressing buttons and flicking switches.

You sat on the couch—back slumping against the warm leather and arm crossed over your chest—BD-1 hopped off your shoulder and sat on the center table. Merrin sat down next to you, attempting to comfort you.

“Are you worried, [y/n]?”

“I am but… about many things,”

She rests her hand on yours, giving it a tight but gentle squeeze.

“Mostly worried about Cal?”

“Of course. I don’t know what I’ll see when I find him, and I’m not sure if I’m ready,”

Merrin leaned her head on your shoulder as she hugged you.

“I just hope he’s okay,” you sighed, clutching back Merrin’s hand and nuzzling your cheek on her silver hair.

The Inquisitor’s convoy had already gone to Koboth almost immediately after the slaughter was finished and when Cal thought he had finished off Razh. The planet—similar to its neighboring Mustafar—was also a volcanic planet, the only difference between the two alike planets are their skies: Koboth’s skies could be clear, grey, or dark. Large, black mountain ranges dictated the twists and turns of the lava rivers, deltas of magma branched out across the soil, possibly extending to the farthest reaches of the planet, geysers were also scattered across the arid, rocky plains. It was an unforgivable planet, it was a perfect itinerary for someone as formidable as the whole band of Inquisitors.

Another fortress rests atop a plateau, its onyx spire erecting through the cliff top where it overlooks a cluster of geysers on the obsidian plains; at the foot of the plateau, where a river of lava flows through, is an established Imperial facility and base hybrid.

The convoy had landed on the hangar of the fortress; Cal walked along with the Grand Inquisitor—tailed by a couple of Stormtroopers—together they appeared almost like master and apprentice. In the corner of his eye, the Grand Inquisitor glanced at Cal, sensing an inhibition that the young boy.

“Are you troubled?”

“Frankly, yes,”

This whole time, starting from the ambush at the temple until he boarded the Grand Inquisitor’s shuttle, all he could think about was you—what you would say, what you would think—once you see him again. Cal believed that while he may have guaranteed your safety for now, that doesn’t mean you will be immune from every Stormtrooper you bump into in any world you’re in.

He wanted you with him. Anywhere, anything goes—as long as you’re not separated from him.

“Of her? But you have already guaranteed her safety, have you not?”

“I’d much rather have her here with me. You don’t know what she is capable of,”

The Pau’an Inquisitor smirked and scoffed through his nostrils.

“Believe me, boy, I know enough,”

Once they’ve entered the fortress itself, they were greeted by Stormtroopers, straightening their backs and readjusting their grips on their blasters. They eased up when the Grand Inquisitor and Cal have walked past them, and then it was back to slouching. To Cal, it has always felt the same whenever he treads through the hallway of an Imperial base—cold, stale, inorganic—but now, all of it was beginning to change; he had begun to realize this is going to be his new life now.

Along the way, the Grand Inquisitor stopped in his tracks and turned his attention to the pair of Stormtroopers.

“Take Master Kestis to the quarters arranged for him,”

Cal jerked his head to the Pau’an who glanced back at him unsurprised. The young redhead did not say anything. His companion was polite enough to dismiss himself with his own reason before leaving him at the care of the Stormtroopers.

“This way, sir,” the Stormtrooper points to the general direction with his blaster.

The Stormtroopers took the lead with Cal walking behind them, he wondered if these troopers were any of the clones he had met or interacted with before the Purge. He shrugged away the thought and was escorted to a chamber.

“This is it, sir,”

“Thanks,” Cal barely made his mouth move to utter the words. Regardless, the Stormtroopers—having their task done—gave a curt nod at the boy and walked away, assuming patrol work in the base.

Cal stepped in and surveyed his new quarters. One entire wall was a glass window that gave a view of the lava rivers and the geyser patch outside the fortress. There was a single cabinet that was filed with medical supplies and consumables like food rations, stims, even smoke and flash bombs.

“Stims,” Cal muttered to himself. “Well, I guess we can restock, right, BD-1?”

He glanced over his shoulder, his stomach sank to his feet instantaneously when his little droid is nowhere to be found on his back. Suddenly, he was hysterical. He had lost BD-1 and couldn’t remember the last time he was sure that the droid was there clinging on his back.

“BD-1…? Little bud?!” he searched his room, nothing.

He wanted to head out and search his droid, but he was unsure how the Stormtroopers would react—he didn’t exactly fit in yet. He hesitated in stepping out of his room, instead, he opened the door and peeked out to see if BD was there waiting for him outside—probably waiting to open up the door for him.

Nothing. Just an empty hallway.

He retreated to his room, helpless and truly alone. He sat down on his bed.

“Oh no…”

Cal hung his head low, resting his forehead on the palm of his hand while his fingers combed his copper hair. He took deep breaths, hoping that BD-1 would not have been completely lost—he had hoped that you’ve picked him up along the way.

In the solace of his chamber, he sulked for a time, until he decided it’s pointless and attempted to meditate instead. However, he couldn’t seem to focus, something felt like hindering whenever he tried—it was unexplainable; if he strains himself, he loses control and is unable to properly meditate.

The sputtering of the geysers muffled through his glass wall interrupted his focus. He grunted in frustration as he jerked his eyes open. He strode towards the glass, watching the pillars of gas and vapor shoot up from their craters and then into the air, the viscous lava sloshed rather than flowed in streams.

He thought about the feelings he had mere seconds ago. His meditation felt hollow, the silence had terrified him, and he began to ponder what went wrong all of a sudden and why was he feeling like this. By the glass window, Cal ruminated on his choices, the outcomes it had brought, and the sacrifices that were made whether the price was steep or low; but above all of this, you were the first of his many thoughts—your voice, your cheerful laughter that escaped through your sweet smile, and the way you looked at him.

At the corner of his eye, a ship was spotted in the distance and he instantly recognizes it just by the way it did its landing cycle.

The Mantis.

You’ve taken over co-pilot where Cal originally sits, assisting Greez in piloting the ship as you would. As the captain prepared the landing cycle, you stared through the windshield, glaring at the raven-black tower that nestled between the cliff tops. A feeling crept onto you—it was cold and heavy, but there was a familiarity to it.

“Cal’s there, I know it,” you uttered particularly to yourself, you didn’t care whether they heard it or not.

The Mantis finally touches the rocky terrain of Koboth for the first time. You jumped out of your seat, Cere called your name but you ignored it—you were too eager to find him—when a second mention of your name wasn’t enough, she caught up to you and grabbed you by the arm.

“[y/n], please wait!”

“Cere, please! There’s not much time!” you burst.

“I know you want him back—we all do, like you—but please, don’t be reckless,” Cere shook your arm, her grip evidently tightening as she spoke every word.

You finally afforded a moment to calm yourself and breathe. You heeded her words.

“I won’t be reckless. I _will_ find him and I’ll bring him back home,” you firmly swore, looking deep into Cere’s eyes.

She nodded but said nothing. Then suddenly—perhaps because of the emotions swirling inside her—she throws herself to you, taking you in her arms’ embrace. She brought her lips close to your ear.

“Do not let your fear and inhibitions trample on what you believe in,”

Cere may not have seen it, but your eyes lit up—it was the same, exact words that the voice of your master had said to you in the holocron’s chamber—the slight movement of your head proved her that you understood well and have taken the words to heart.

“I won’t,” you replied, embracing her back. “I won’t.”

The woman pulled away from the embrace, but kept her hands on your shoulders, giving them a slight shake.

“Okay,” she breathed. She raised her hand to your cheek, cupping and then caressing it. “Go on now. May the Force be with you.”

You nodded and turned around to the door. When you stepped out of the ship and finally got a feel of the planet’s environment, you had wished you could have brought the Varan along with you—it would have still served its purpose when crossing this kind of terrain. No use in whining about it, you thought, and hiked the entire mile from the Mantis’s landing spot to the fortress.

Little did you knew that Cal had spotted you. Squinting through the glass, he found you sprinting through the expanse of the obsidian flats, the hem of your poncho flapping through the wind as you ran, and he watched you close in on the fortress.

The Force still guided him, even if his connection was reducing into fragments like it was once before he met Cere, it connected him to you, gave him hints on where you might be; with his unseen guide, he darted through the confusing and winding annexes and hallways of the fortress, blatantly ignoring the Stormtroopers that gave him weird stares even with their emotionless helmets.

 _Cal, please, be with me._ You prayed while prowling the hallways, engaging in fights as scarcely as possible.

Cal sprinted and hurriedly followed whatever it is that was shepherding him to you. Clearly, it was the Force—indescribable but certain. Coming from the west, he ended up in the main elevator lobby—the center of it all. Finally, the two of you have crossed paths; your sneaking off and your scaling of the place just to be out of sight from the enemies and the workers there—even if they were just droids.

Your eyes meet.

“[y/n]…” that is all Cal uttered.

For one, you were thrilled to see Cal safe and sound and seemingly unscathed. There weren’t visible wounds on his face, no tears and rips on his clothes—he was perfectly fine. You could’ve sworn you even saw his eyes light up and the corners of his lips curl up when he found you.

And yet you feel something ominous exuding from him. There was no doubt about it and there was no other way of explaining it. Your smile was a short-lived one. You stepped closer to him, close enough to touch him again—you cradled his cheeks with your trembling hands and looked into his eyes—and in that moment, you’ve confirmed what you’ve been fearing this whole time.

It was the Dark Side of the Force.

“Oh, my love, what have they done to you?” you gasped.


	10. Duel of the Fates

Cal clutched back your hands on his face, savoring their softness after yearning for your touch. He wasn’t sure what to say, he kept silent while avoiding your eyes. Impulsively, you pull yourself close to him into an embrace which he gladly returned, relishing your warmth as you tightened your hold around his back.

Over your shoulder, he notices the pair of antennas poking out—he knew that it was BD-1. He was relieved that the little droid has regrouped with you.

“What happened to you?” you whispered in his ear.

His eyes wandered all over the place, searching for the answer. He didn’t know what to say. He gently pulls away from you but never let go of your hands.

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

“No, no,” he weakly chuckled. “I’m fine, see?”

His assurance didn’t really console you, he knows well enough not to take you for a fool—he feels that you can sense it too within him: the Dark Side of the Force.

You didn’t want to startle him with your questioning, but you wanted to know everything all at once whilst a part of you still doesn’t want to believe or perhaps isn’t ready to believe. Cal saw the troubled look in your eyes—the way your eyebrows furrowed, how your lip trembled even if you’ve bitten it, and the shallow rapid breathing.

“BD told me that… you went with the Grand Inquisitor… And Razh! He told me that you gave the order… at the village, you… slaughtered them!” you rambled away, your thoughts out of sequence. “W-Who is the Grand Inquisitor?!”

“Razh and BD didn’t tell you everything.”

From that reply, the worst of all your assumptions have been confirmed. There was no need for more questioning; you have the answer to everything you need to know.

There was a churning feeling in the pit of your stomach, your heart was pounding so loudly that you were out of breath just by trying to calm it down.

“What do you mean?”

“What a droid couldn’t understand is my reason for doing it,”

BD-1 trilled loudly, obviously confused and shocked at what Cal had said.

“What reason!?” your voice cracked, your tone becoming more demanding as the moment passes.

On the other hand, Cal understood where you were coming from; you were in a state of shock, of course you’re confused and can’t comprehend everything going on right now. You came to him for answers, although they were answers that you never hoped and perhaps weren’t ready for.

“I should’ve told you way back then,” he muttered, blankly staring at the floor.

“So, you were hiding something from me then?!”

“If only you knew what I had to do _to save you_ ,”

“Save me…? From what!? From the Grand Inquisitor?” you pointed at him. “From you!?”

One thing piled over the other. You had sensed something wrong with Cal back then, even when you were still recovering in Razh’s house. You hated yourself for not sensing it much earlier, had you been vocal about it and brought it up with him—even at the expense of his comfort in talking about it—then you would’ve averted this entire disaster.

The blast door behind Cal jerked open. Out comes the Eighth Sister back from the dead. You didn’t even realize it, your legs were moving on their own—you backed away in a fearful shock, discovering that you apparently didn’t kill the Mirialan Inquisitor.

“It’s you!” The Eighth Sister exclaimed at her discovery, the longing to exact her vengeance on you immediately took over her actions, she briskly ignited her lightsaber, ready for a second round.

“No, you’re not taking another step!” Cal growled.

“Screw that, I’m gonna get a go at her for dropping rocks on me!”

“I SAID NO!!!” Cal, with a great ferocity, roared again and stretched out his arm at the Eighth Sister and an unseen wave—as violent at the Fourth Brother’s in their first encounter—threw her right back into the metal hallways and locking her there in the process by busting the control panel.

You witnessed how strong Cal had become—obviously stronger than you—and wondered if this was the work of the Grand Inquisitor and the Dark Side that has seeped into him. All of a sudden, your fear of him was starting to outweigh your love for him.

It felt like time had stopped ticking for that _one_ moment.

Cal’s heart pounded loudly through his chest, despite the flurry of emotions wounding between you and him, it was beating rather in a calm rhythm.

Every plea you uttered, echoed and then drowned by the eruption of geysers. The hot wind pricking your cheeks. Your breathing was unstable and shaky, gasping in hiccupping beats as you fought back tears.

You cannot deny it: his descent was imminent.

“Please, Cal,” you stepped closer to him so that you reach to touch his face. “Stop this. Stop this and come home with me.”

“No, no,” he shakes his head. “Don’t you see that this is the better choice? A choice that either you or I should have done a long time ago?”

You unconsciously shake your head, but he didn’t notice.

“[y/n], if only you knew how it feels, all this…” he looked at his hands, then looked around him, gesturing at the expanse of the Empire’s hold. “This _power_ , it’s something I’ve _never ever_ felt in my whole life!”

“Please stop, you’re scaring me, Cal…” you cracked.

“Stay here with me, I’ll protect you like I always do—I’ve become stronger already, [y/n]! All this strength that’s been hiding within me, this is what it only needed for me to finally get a hold of it. The Inquisitors won’t dare lay a finger on you. We’ll always be together—like we’ve always planned, haven’t we? Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“But not like this!” you bellowed, still struggling to suppress the tears welling up in your eyes. “This is _NOT_ how I wanted that! You of all people should know that!”

He continued to justify himself. It was for the best, he says. This could do some much good that you two have been lacking all this time, he presses. A twisted smile curled in his face alarmed you, though you remained stubborn with yourself, you had hoped to convince him back.

Your heart broke and ached so much that you felt your chest suffocating you.

“This isn’t you… This isn’t who you _really_ are!” you said shakily, on the verge of tears. “I don’t know the person I’m looking at anymore!”

Cal’s lips parted, his once-soft expression quickly morphed into a face seething with rage and greed.

“Please, don’t make me do this…” your voice quivered as you hesitated to reach for the hilt on your belt.

“It doesn’t have to be this way!” Cal roared, fighting to get _you_ to _his_ side—not the other way around.

“You’re right, it doesn’t,”

You didn’t even realize that your hand was moving on its own, your fingers clamped around the elegant cylinder and gave a quick tug.

“And that is why I will do what I must.”

One lightsaber being ignited was followed by another.

Your eyes trailed blankly to the beam of light, a second beam was ignited, appearing out of the other end of his hilt.

There was no other way to settle this. Both of you positioned yourselves in stances. As quick as the blink of an eye, both of you lunged at each other until your lightsabers hissed and sparked as they collided. Cal shifted all his weight on his deflect in an attempt to stagger you, but you withdrew and restarted your stance.

 _He’s gotten more aggressive_. You analyzed as the two of you circled one another, you wagered that it was a new lightsaber form he’s picked up but it’s impossible—even for an Inquisitor, let alone a fledgling Inquisitor.

To his advantage, Cal has read your moves—none of which were new—and knew exactly when and where you were open; though, he took the liberty of going easy on you—he remembers that you hated that, it always felt like you were being robbed of a challenge and a lesson altogether, resulting to you throwing a tantrum in the form of reckless moves and attack patterns.

The meeting of your sabers procured a blinding light for every collision, the weapons hummed and snarled violently when one of you deflected the other, you gracefully evaded his lethal dash strikes; in frustration, he turned to you, teeth clenched and bared, and then prepares for another attack.

 _Is he trying to kill me or apprehend me?_ You pondered in that second. _It doesn’t matter. I have to fight!_

It occurred to you that for once in your life, you never imagined that you would be crossing blades with Cal in this kind of predicament. This couldn’t be what the Force willed, could it? It felt like a premature joke, a cruel prank at you—it was bull, you thought. The anger was growing in you; little by little, it manifested in your strikes until you were at par with your boyfriend’s caliber. While it was satisfying, you knew you had to be better—you forced the anger to recede, remembering all of your training in the space of a second, and the words your master and Cere spoke that burned into your mind.

“The Dark Side could make you grow so much stronger than this,” Cal hummed.

“And be a prisoner of it? I don’t think so!”

The floor beneath your feet shook and rumbled, later realizing that you’ve stepped onto the elevator. When the lift had hoisted you a mere three feet up from the ground, Cal wasn’t letting you get away from him—he somersaulted effortlessly and attempted to land a strike on you, much to his chagrin, you deflected it again.

“Good block,”

“Thanks, I take after you!”

The duel dragged on as the elevator brought you to the upper levels of the fortress. You elbowed Cal in the stomach, hoping that the few seconds of his staggering would buy you some time; you ran off of the elevator and found yourself in what you assumed to be a control center, you used the Force to seal the doors behind you.

“[y/n], are you still there? We don’t have much time, their command ship has picked up the Mantis in their radar!” Cere crackled through your comlink.

“I’m here! Tell Greez to make the Mantis do a fly-by at the upper level of the fortress, I’ll find my way to you!”

The doors didn’t barricade Cal from you for long. The two of your continued the duel, slashing up the computers and terminals in the process.

“If you knew better, you wouldn’t let this battle drag on!” Cal bantered again.

“If _you_ knew better, this wouldn’t be happening in the first place!” you clapped back.

An Imperial security droid awoke from the sound of your skirmish; unable to identify friend or foe between the two of you, the tall, human-like droid charged at Cal and picked up the boy with great ease. The young fallen Jedi kicked his legs in the air, trying to break free from the droid’s surprisingly strong grip.

The droid somewhat did you a favor and afforded you mere seconds to flee. You ran to the outdoor balcony overlooking the operations of the facility below; there were some pipes that connected this level to a higher one. You looked over your shoulder and saw the droid slam Cal hard into the ground—it was so strong that the impact of his back against the metal floor caused it to quake. It somewhat hurt you more than it hurt Cal.

There was no time to lose. Slowly but steadily, you stepped onto the narrow width of the pipes with both of your arms extended but relaxed.

“Don’t look down,” you chanted to yourself at every step, trying to calm down. “Don’t look back.”

The young redhead made quick work of getting rid of the droid and then returned his attention to you. He ran to the balcony and saw you were halfway across the pipes to the high platform; you’ve already jumped up to the pipe above your head and shimmied through. Instead of following you in the same route, he looked to his side and wall-ran to another, much thicker, pipe.

You saw him at the corner of your eye but you ignored him, concentrating on setting foot onto the platform. Unexpectedly, he directed his focus on the second, upper pipe you were standing on and used the Force to pull it. From the distance, you could hear the throttle of the Mantis.

 _They’ve come through!_ You thought with great relief.

The rusty pipe groaned as it loosened from Cal’s Force-pull, you lost your footing in effect but you hugged the beam until you figured it was safe to stand on it again. You watched Cal easily balancing on his pipe and reaching the wide platform first.

“That son of a—!” you growled and bolted through the pipe, making a run for it instead of going gently. Each step you brought on the pipe was a burden, it creaked and slowly you can feel it falling apart under your feet.

You took a leap of faith and made it through the gap. You propped yourself back on your feet and reignited your lightsaber. Cal wasn’t letting this fight end so easily and quickly, and neither were you. Lightsabers intercrossed once again, attempting to overpower the other by the shifting your weights on blocks and strikes, refusing to end up in a stalemate both of you forced each other’s strength against the other—in turn, sparks have begun to spew out of the blades.

Cere was searching for you and Cal in the tower, Greez kept the Mantis hovering by the fortress in a close distance for Cere to find you. The lightsabers were enough of a beacon for her to easily spot you. Leaning close to the windshield, she pointed at the platform here the pipes have led you and Cal to.

“Look, there they are!”

“Hold on, I gotta maneuver the old girl!” Greez strained at the wheel as he makes a sharp turn with the Mantis.

You looked to the Mantis for one second and knew that Greez is preparing to hover the ship close. You turn back to Cal—in a final, hopeful attempt, you pleaded to him.

“Cal… Please, can we go home?”

“I can’t go back anymore,”

The fire in his eyes, stoked and illuminated by the mingling colors of your lightsabers, burned differently. When you discovered that glint in his jade eyes, you looked at him as if he was someone else. A whole, new person.

A stranger.

He can feel your strength ebbing, about to fumble any minute now; but you gathered the remaining power you have in you and pushed him away, stealing his chance of ever landing a strike at you—with this newfound frenzy, you denied him an opening to hit back, not even a single jab. The strikes that he blocked from you were noticeably stronger than before.

You kicked him in the abdomen, enough to make him stagger away a few steps away from you, and your next move is what surprised him the most in the entirety of this duel.

You aim your outstretched hand at him and then a powerful ripple emitted out of your open palm. Out of the blue, Cal was stiff as a board, stuck in a painfully arching posture as he stood with his chest sticking out, causing his back to camber in a wide, convex curve. This was entirely different from his Force-Slow. He’s ultimately stuck in place. Not a single muscle was allowed to twitch. A single jerk of a finger felt like he’d sprain it if he tried.

You yourself were surprised at what you had done. You gawked at your hands at the discovery of this once-dormant ability.

Behind your back, you could hear Cere calling your name.

“[Y/N], COME ON!”

From the distance, ion cannons from the TIE Fighters whistled as they fired at the Mantis and tremendously missed by a hair.

Seeing that it’s hopeless to convince Cal, you directed your concentration on his lightsaber and pulled it away from his hand; then you turned tail and booked it towards the Mantis hovering by the railings. You closed the gap between the platform and the ship. You almost made it as you landed on your stomach; Cere cautiously approached you and grabbed you by the arm as she helped you pull yourself up. You held onto the bar of the entry ramp and looked back: Cal remained standing there, still stuck in the influence of your Force-Halt. His face was crumpled with great anger as he watched the Mantis prepare for takeoff—a part of you understood if a fraction of that anger was for you.

This is the last time your eyes meet.

You retreated into the ship and threw yourself on the co-pilot seat and started typing out coordinates. Meanwhile, the crew was staring at a frozen Cal on the platform through the windshield. They—especially Cere—couldn’t believe what they're seeing. A thought was bothering her the whole time as well, and much like you, the sight of Cal is what confirmed her theory.

“H-Hey, wai—what are you doing?!? What about Cal!?” Greez yapped in confusion.

“GREEZ, JUST GO!”

Startled, he pressed buttons on the dashboard with all of his four arms in the speed of lightning before cranking the lever and the Mantis fled out of the planet. Greez told the entire crew to hold on as he dodged all of the cannons that the TIE Fighters blasted at the Mantis—you felt all of your organs spin out of their place as the ship performed a 360 and then jump into lightspeed. Your knees were already weak from the altitude and the duel, but it felt like your caps have dissolved and turned into broth with Greez’s daredevil stunts with the Mantis.

While the ship sped through the tunnel of blue light, you finally afforded to catch your breath. You almost forgot that you had Cal’s lightsaber in your clutches. Just by holding it, you could feel the emotions that he has imprinted on it—fear, desperation, and even hate. These were emotions that you knew would be the last thing to stay in Cal’s mind.

Though, you figured that the young redhead that you tried so hard to lure out of that wrath-filled husk of a man could be just that—a shell, an image. You held the hilt close to your heart as you leaned back slumping against the co-pilot seat.

Greez and Cere exchanged glances, torn between give some comforting words or letting you be in your silence; but Cere sensed that the latter would be the best thing to do for you.

“[y/n], why don’t you… lie down in your room for a while?” Cere cooed in a motherly tone.

You swiveled your chair to face her, she shoots a gentle look at you, slightly motioning her head at the direction of the quarters. Without a word, you obliged.

The room has never felt so empty. It’s like stepping into it for the first time and not knowing what to do, expect, and say. You placed Cal’s lightsaber on the workbench along with yours. You approached the narrow bed and found his scrapper’s poncho sitting there. Unconsciously, you take it and let your fingers run across the matted fabric, giving off the musk of combined rainwater and gear oil.

BD-1 hopped off of your shoulder as you sat down, you continued to feel the cloth and let it squish through the spaces between your fingers.

“Boo-woop?”

“I’m okay, BD…” you mumbled.

“Boooo…” he lowed sadly.

“Yeah, I miss him too…”

You curled up into a ball lying down on your side, with Cal’s poncho held close to your heart and BD-1 nestling by your side as you dozed off in a hushed sob.

Meanwhile, Cal had already broken off from your Force-Halt, pounding the metal floor with his fists in agony more than anger as he regained his bearings. The Grand Inquisitor found him in a complete disarray, although he dismissed as a tantrum.

“Oh come now, you could’ve bested her if it weren’t for her ship,”

“I… I thought she’d want to be with me…” he mumbled, confused and disappointed like a child. And then he suddenly snapped. “Now she’s fled with the Holocron!”

“Which I believe you will make quick work of… _after your training._ ”

“Yes, Grand Inquisitor,” Cal hissed, his mood immediately shifting into a calm yet ominous demeanor as he followed the Grand Inquisitor into the fortress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued...


End file.
